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20.-\pril-fnne, 193-Ramadhan.By Miss I. C. de la CAMP.The dreaded month of Ramadhan is clrawin toa close. It has not bePn quite such a harrl timeas it is when the lays are longer, for this time thefast uegan when the lays were verv short andit meant only about twelve hours·· abstinence.One woman said to me, " \Ye have hardly timeto fe el hungry before it is breakfast time (sunset),but we do feel so cold without food." Towardsthe end of the month the people suffer from lackof sleep, owing to their broken nights. DuringRamadhan I have my women's class in themorning, instead of the afternoon, so that theymay be more alert. But even so, the womenarc often so sleepy thatthose who are not parti cu la rl y interesteddrop off, and have tobe nudged by theirn eighbours to wakethem up.Although luring thismonth plenty of food,a nd often better food,is taken at night, thereis no doubt that thefast of Ramadhanmeans .to many realself-denial, especiallyto such as are in thehabit of smokingtobacco, or of takingsnuff; and also to thesick and aged. Thereare many devout Moslems who truly fastunto Allah, who wouldrather die than breakthe Fast. But to therank and file it is justan ordinance to be observed because it wouldbe a disgrace not todo so.Ramadhan is veryA little nativetryin!; to tempers, andthere is more quarrelling and cursing this monththan in any other in the year. When there is anangry dispute at once someone will say with ashrug of the shoulders," Oh, Ramadhan ! " Yet,how self-righteousness is fostered I All the evildone during the month counts as nothing, i[the Fast is strictly kept.Quite small children arc encouraged to fast,at first for an occasional half-day , then morefrequently and for longer hours. Proud indee,Iis the child that has succeeded in fasting for awhole day . lt is petted and made much of.The little girls are dressed up like diminutivebrid es, and seated on chairs in some promi1,entplace to he admired by all their neighbours .This as a rule is on the '.!7th day of Hamadhan.I was called up on the rnof to see one of my littl egirls who was thus dressed up. She is aboutseven years old. With great pride she told me."I fasted the whole day yesterday, and I am gain to fast all to-morrow, God willing: but I coulrlnot fast to-day, it would have made me too tired .··The night before the 27th day of Ramadhanis called "the l\ight of Power." It is supposeclto be the anniversary of that night on whi ch th eKoran came down from heaven to }Iohammed.Also on that night all the jinns are s hut up inhell and the angels can come unhinde red t ,,minister to mankind . There are often candle,girl dressed for 27th day of Ramadhan.or little oil lamps to be seen alight on the roofsto show the m the wa · to some particular housewhere their ministrations are desired. :-Olost uithe male pop1alation spend the night in the Mosques, which are brilliantly lit up, now chiefl)·with electric lights, but formerly with the farmore picturesque oil lamps. I enquired whatthey did all night in the '.\Iosques. " Oh. th, yread and pra · -" " But," said I, "where do allthe orange pe, ls , the nutshells and elate stonc·s.which litter the :\losques come from' " I wa,;told, " .-\h, well , there art also those who go tc amu e themselvc s and take nuts and oranges tc eat ." It would seem to me that such art' farin the majorit\·.How anxiou,l)· the· ,wxt new muon is louke,l

\1'ril-J1111c. 193 21ior, and what rejoicing thC'rc is when the gun isfired and the horn is blown announcing the end ofthe Fast and the beginning of the Feast. \Vith"·hat a sigh of relief do they say " Hamadhan is-over once 1nore." owadays when there is a greater laxit , inmorals and religious observances, there are many"·ho clo not strictly keep the Fast. Especiallyis this so where there is a European governmentand they arc not afraid of the ronserp1enus '"of old. This tends to make it easier also fr,rconverts from Islam. They need our pr,l\'er,that they may be given the courage of theirconvictions to break away entirely from thatwhich they know to he of no avail. It is nr,teasy for them, when it has permeated their livesfrom babyhood. :\lay they prove that theirsufficiency is of Goel in this as in all other matt rsFor Junior Readers.''Whiter than Snow.''(Adapted).DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS,For fifteen years I worked as a missionary in Tripoli, the land of palm trees andof desert sand, and for another fifteenyears in Sfax, Southern Tunisia, the land f the olive. Now I have come to livein Oran, a seaport town in Algeria ; andI thought that you might be interestedto hear of one way in which my formermission stations differ from my presentone.Here, in Oran, there are clumps of pinetrees to be seen, and on the Sunday beforeChristmas I awoke to see them coveredwith snow. In Tripoli and Tunisia children-could not understand Bible texts which-spoke of snow, for they had never seen it.When they wish to speak of purity they,say " as white as milk " or " as white asan egg," and in a chorus in an Egyptianhymn-book they use the comparison "aswhite as jessamine." But here, towardthe end of December and the beginning-of January, the snow fell, and I was ableto quote King David's prayer, " Wash me,.and I shall be whiter than snow." Ipointed out to them that even newlywashed clothes look dirty against thefallen snow, and I think that they couldunderstand that in the same way ourgood works (not to speak of our sins)appear as " filthy rags" in God's purnlight, and that only those who are wa-;hedin the precious blood of His beloved Sonare truly cleansed. Have you, dear boysand girls, sought this cleansing ?I want you to pray that God will blessthe girls here, to whom I tell the story ofthe Saviour. When I called at one homea girl placed herself in my way and said," Those things don't interest us," but oncalling again I found her more friendly ;and she and some other girls not onlylistened but introduced me to others.Then I called on a French woman, whowas soon to go into hospital, and who hada little daughter ; and this little girl andher mother both seemed intensely interested in the story of how we may becleansed from our sin.Outside Oran there is a place called" Tin-town," a collection of wretched huts,and there I am teaching the children (aswell as their mothers) some Bible storiesand choruses. In all these cases we wantthem to learn that just as the washing hanging on the line looks dirty against the snow,even so our good works seem defiled in thelight of God's holiness, and that in answerto the question " ,vhat can wash away mysin ? " there is only one answer, " othingbut the blood of Jesus."Yours for Christ and :-forth ,\frica,F. )I. \\'EBB.Oran, Algeria.

23The Tangier Conference.\Y E judge the recent T angier Conferencet o have been the most successful gatheringof it s kind ever held. in :Morocco. By thef.;e nerous help of friends-and of one inpa rticular-our own m1ss10nanes wereenabled t o attend in larger numbers thanon any previous occasion ; the presenceo f members of other societies and of localPhoto b y )Gamman made an ideal host and h()q e, ., :the greatly improved acrnmmodation a nrlexcellent catering materially added to th E,comfort of th e guest s ; and the TI C\\. ha lI.(formerly the Spanish Chapel). now in t hr·Hope H ouse compound , proved an admir able meeting. place. In a word, the mam·prayers that had been offered fo r t heHope House, Tangier, after Reconstruction.independent workers ga ve it a more trulyrepresentative character th an it had everbefore borne ; while the spiritual power ofthe devotional addresses , the practicalvalue of the discussions , a nd the unanimityof the proposals for closer co-opera tion, alll1elpecl t o lift it t o an t11111suall y high level.The changes at Hope Hou se, too, werem arkedl y in its fa, ·our. ?llr. and Mrs.di,·ine blessing to res t upon the Co n frrc' tt,c'were abundantly answered.Three sessions were held dail\. l hl'mornings were devoted to prayt' r :ulllministry ; in the a fternoons the rt' w nc·gatherings for t he disc11ssion of missi, 1na 1Yproblems ; and in the en·nings . 111,,et i11;.:-cfor m1mst1"\" aga 111. Tht' speal.: t' r s ,,,·re·Dr. .;\orthn te 1\,c k , lfrv. F . \h11ri, \Hibl,·

24Churchman's Missionary Society), Rev.H. S. Gamman, l\Ir. James Haldane(Southern }Iorocco Mission) and the GeneralSecretary, while a number of other friendstook part in the discussions or led inprayer.At the session held on Thursday afternoon the subject of how best to approachthe native mind was considered ; and thecontributions made by those who had hadexperience of the work were exceptionallyhelpful. On the Friday afternoon the)l" .A.l\L workers held a private gathering,at which business affecting the Missionwas dealt with, followed by a time ofintercession. At this meeting Mr. Garnman was unanimously asked to becomeSecretary of the Moroccan· Advisory FieldCouncil.The session on Saturday afternoon wasagain an open meeting, and was largelyattended. The question of closer cooperation between the Moroccan workerswas the special theme, and after dueconsideration it was decided to make thefollowing recommendations to the HomeCouncils:I. That an association of missionarysocieties and others working in Moroccobe formed, to be known as " TheEvangelical Fellowship of Morocco."2. That the object of such anassociation be (a) to promote thecommon interests of all who are seekingto make known the Gospel of Christ in'.\forocco ; (b) to form the basis of anyunited action for which occasion mayarise ; (c) and to unite in a purelyspiritual and non-political fellowshipsuch native and European brethren asgive evidence of a genuine faith inChrist.April-Jllne, 193-1.3. That a Council of the Fellowshipbe formed, consisting of one or morerepresentatives of the associated societies, and any others whom they maydeem it advisable to co-opt.4. That in the event of the missionary societies agreeing to the aboveproposals a meeting of their representatives be called as speedily as possible toelect a secretary, to co-opt, if necessary,other members, and to decide upon anyfurther course of action.On Sunday, the last day of the Conference, public worship was conducted in themorning by Mr. Gamman, and at the closeof the Service practically all who attendedunited in the observance of the Lord'sSupper. At the evening meeting the twoclosing addresses were given by Dr. Deckand the Secretary.A special feature of the Conference \Vasthe Arabic meeting held on Sunday afternoon. In addition to the missionariesthere were some twenty-seven }Ioorspresent, the majority of whom werebelievers in Christ. The main addresswas given by Mr. Haldane ; and it wasextremely interesting to at least one hearerto observe his ability to adopt the nativemanner of speech and gesture, and howfirmly he held the attention of his audiencein consequence.The arrangements for the Conferencewere carried through without a hitch,but preparation for it must ha,·e entailedmuch labour and forethought ; andspecial thanks are due to Mr. and )lrs.Gamman, and :\Ir. Leslie Robinson for allthat they achieved, as well as to manyothers who toiled behind the scenes.

.\pril-June . l9J 25Secretary's Notes.Dr. Harvey Farmer·\cting upon medical advice Dr. Farmer wascompelled to seek a brief relaxation from hislabours in. America, and during his enforcedvacation v1s1ted several of our Mission stationsin North Africa. He has now returned toPhiladelphia, and may be addressed at 6109,Columbia Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A. Onhis return voyage the weather was very stormy,and his health is not yet thoroughly re-established . He will value the prayers of our readersas he returns to fill his numerous engagements.Dr. Northcote Deck.\s will be seen from the report found onpage 23 , it was our privilege to have Dr. NorthcoteDeck as one of the speakers at our recentConference in Tangier. and many have testifiedto the value of his ministry . It will be a pleasureto our friends to know that, in response to aunanimous invitation, Dr. Deck has now joinedthe Council of the Mission, to which he may beassured of a very hearty welcome.Decease of Pasteur R. CapelleWe much regret to announce the death ofPasteur Raoul Capelle, of Miliana, at a comparatively early age . This beloved brother wasnot only a faithful minister of Christ, but a truefriend of our Mission, and frequently rendered itvaluable service. For some years he acted asFrench Mandataire for the Mission in its legaland other business. The large concourse offriends that gathered to pay their last tribute ofrespect and affection was a testimony to the highesteem in which our brother was held . Wetender to his widow and family our most sinceresympathy.-Another friend of the Mission, ofmore advanced age, Mr. A. West, who wasformerly local Secretary of the Leyton-to-OngarAuxiliary, has also been called home. As longas health permitted Mr . West laboured unceasingly to promote the interests of our work, andit was a distinct loss when his retirement becamenecessary. To his widow and family ourChristian sympathy is also extended.Reinforcements from AmericaSubje,c t to certain conditions, and upon therecommendation of Dr. Farmer, the Councilhave welcomed the following new members toour ranks :-Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ferree, ofHaddonfield, New Jersey: Miss Carrie D . Graves,of New York; Mr. John H . Derbaum , of Lakewood,Ohio; and Mr. Roy B. Smith, of Norwood, Pa.i'artly on account of the straitness of ourfinances, and partly as a further means ofascertaining the Divine will , these friends willucfer sailing for Europe until their outfit,passage-money and two years ' support are eitherprovided or promised . The large number ofveterans on the North African field warns us thatthere is need for men and women of a younge,·generation to be girding on their harness; but inour present financial circ umstances the Councildare not add to th e res ponsibilities nf th e fission without som e clear and unm is ta kabletoken that it is in the Divine purpose for th e mto go forward .Retirement of Mra. FiaherWe much regret that ill-health has ma de itimpossible for Irs. Fisher to return to th e fi eld .She joined the Mission in 1922, going first t oCherchell, thence to Settat, Bone, Tunis andSouk-Abras ; and in every station she has beenuntiring in her efforts to win women and childrenfor Christ. Miss Houghton, who joined her asan Associate Missionary, will remain at hom e " ·it hher ; but both she and Mrs. Fisher (as the hea lthof the latter permits) will still help the }lissio nas deputation speakers .May Meetinc Our readers' attention is called to the announcement of our forthcoming ;\,lay }leetings on pa ge27. They should prove to be times of stimulu sand spiritual blessing."A Budget from Barbary "Miss Tinling's delightful book is still sellin ,gwell ; but we have a large stock to draw from,and shall be grateful if our friends will notslacken in their efforts to promote its circ ula t ion(Price l s. , special binding, 2s.) Real ser,;ice ca nbe rendered in this way, and copies will gladl y besent on application.--\'\' e learn that a fe " ·imperfect copies have inadYertently bee n circulated . If any friend who has a copy conta inin:,;misplaced, or blank, pages will kindly communicate with us, a complete ,;olume will beforwarded free o! cost .Mr. and Mrs. Mile and Mr. and Mrs. LongMr. and Mrs. Stanley :\.liles haYe n ow se ttledin Tunis, retaining their house in Gabes as anout-station. Mr. and l\Irs. Ernest Long, formerh"of Sousse, are home for a time, }lr. Lon g ac tini-(as Deputation for the l\lission in the :--: o rth ofEngland and Scotland . We ask for thesefriends, as they la bour in their respecti\' e anclimportant spheres, the support of our reade rsprayers.FinanceBy the great merc y o f God and the gt nero, itvo! one of His sernrnts, the shortage in thl.'missionaries' allowances for 1933 was largelvmade up; and a substantial, though no t full .allocation for February was sent to the tidd .Since then, however, contributions have againseriously diminished, and we are praying that thesupplies necessary to meet the daily net cls o f th eworkers, as ,vell as to bring tired n1i:-.si onarieshon1eonfurlough ,1naybesentin .Pastdeliverances are an encoural(ement to prese ntfaith . " I lm·e the Lord, " says thl' Psalmist ," because H e hath heard my , ·oice a nd m,·supplication ; because He hatti inclined His .,,;runto me . therefor e will 1 call upon Him a s lon gas I live." ( !',;. I 16. I, 2 .)

26April-June, 193 1 :Fishing for Men.By Mr. S. ARTHUR.This title is not original, but it issuggestive of certain features of our work.A good fisherman needs to know somethingof the haunts of the fish he is trying tocatch, as well as of their habits ; he alsoneeds good tackle.What are the haunts of the peculiarfish we are out to catch ? First, there istile nati,,e cafe. Villages without a caft do not provide us with much in the wayof crowds, but where they exist we alwayshave a good fishing ground. When themen have no work to keep them at homethey generally make for the nearest cafeand spend the day there. A writer says:"The Moslem has no home life, as weknow it in the West. He gets his sociallife largely in the coffee shop. It is thehaunt of every Arab, from the beggar tothe lord. Naturally it is most fruitful inopportunities of meeting the men. Thereis a great deal of sitting silently, and theMoslem, who is taught to be resigned,and that everything is the will of God,soon becomes an expert sitter [and sippers.A.]. One must be content to sitpatiently for hours, to meet and talk withall classes of people, and listen to allkinds of ohjections and ideas ; and togive out the Gospel literature and tellout the Gospel story as the Lord opensthe way."The following remarks heard duringour visits to the cafes will tell their owntale. " Now did I not tell vou, themoment I saw the fellow," said onelistener to his neighbour, " that he wouldend his talk in this way ? " " Is he notgoing to speak to us of the Lord Jesus? "said another, as I delayed my usualmessage, awaiting the arrival of otherworkmen. "Oh, yes, he always getsthere," was the reply. " Go and fetchthe Sheikh to this man. We can donothing with him," said a third. But it wasthe Word of Goel which was troubling them.Then there is the public meetin place(the " agora," the " market place " ofthe New Testament). This is usually along building, open at both ends, withstone benches along the two sides for theaccommodation of the men as they meetat the close of the day, or for the elders.of the village who assemble every Fridayto discuss the affairs of the village, andto execute petty justice. Recently I wa invited by a group of young men gatheredin such a place to deal with the questionof the resurrection, and I spoke for morethan two hours (question and answer)without exhausting my subject, and without tiring my hearers. Here we get very,very close to the heart of things. On oneoccasion a boy, after carefully examininga picture of the Prodigal's Return, gawme quite an unexpected subject byremarking, " But he is not at all like hisfather." Are we very much like theCreator who made man in His image ?Further, there are the mosques. Thesemust be visited, if only to meet theconservative element, the men who wiltnot go to the cafes, and who vaguely,and without knowing why, find their jo,·in spending their spare time beneath theshadow of the minaret and under thesound of the Koran. Azazga and thesurrounding districts are crowded withmosques in which Moslem teaching isgiven, and in these we have abundantopportunities of reaching the Arabicspeaking " elite." Here, too, books arealways eagerly sought after. The schoolof the Mosque of Sidi Mansour has at leastone hundred and twenty students intraining ; Sidi Bahloul has at least thirt ·preparing to be Moslem priests ; SidiZbderrahaman has fiftv ; Sidi Driss.fifty ; at Tifrith el Hadj "there are thirty :Tifi-ith el Malek, thirty ; and at AirZella!, sixty, plus a number of smallerpreparatory schools. Surely these fact,;.are an incentive to prayer.Again, there are the markets, or largecountry fairs, held once a week in eachdistrict. It must be remembered thatthe majority of the Kabyle villages pos es,.no shops, and that even where there i:; ,L

27shop the choice of goods is very limited ; motor-car. The difficulty of distingui lisugar, coffee, soap and monkey-nuts ing the thousand readers to be found inpretty well exhaust the list. But 111 the such a crowd may be imagined ; yet it i,markets the choice is larger and more possible, after years of practice, to discern,varied; so much so, indeed, that i

AR.DfN fA SPAIN ALGERIA TRI POLI MAP OF NORTH AFRICA SHOWING NORTH AFRICA MISSION STATIONS ESTl IIITED POPULATIONS: Morocco over 7,000,000, Algeria 6,000,000, Tunisia .