Whatever concerns our Chinese helpers bears with great weight on our work. Their teacher writes: “I think my pupils are very much in earnest, and study the Bible with no mere desire of finding out what there is in it, or of advancing themselves in the knowledge of our language--as some intimate the Chinese do--but with an earnest purpose to learn God’s ways and follow His commands, and to fit themselves to teach others the blessed truths which they themselves have come to believe. It seems to me they must make excellent missionaries; they appear to realize so fully the sad condition of their heathen friends, and are so simple and unquestioning in their faith in the God revealed to them by our Bible. All their teaching and preaching is the love of Christ, and what we should do in return for such love. I am puzzled what to do about the texts [passages of Scripture which I give them week by week to prepare outlines of discourses from. W.C.P.], for no matter what is the subject of them they are sure to run into the _one thing_ that seems to fill their minds.” But that is the one thing needful. The difficulties of which our teacher at Petaluma writes, are encountered to a greater or less extent everywhere. She says: “No Chinese ever attend the school except from one company. [Two of the now famous ‘Six Companies’ are represented among the Chinese of Petaluma. The rivalries and mutual antipathies of members of these companies are often very intense, leading sometimes to pitched battles. In Petaluma they keep the peace; but no efforts of teachers or helpers have yet succeeded in getting Chinese of both the companies into one school. W.C.P.] The scholars are, also, house-servants or laundrymen, and are constantly changing places, and a great deal of the time have nothing at all to do. If they had work we could keep them. If the times would improve the school would improve. The scholars like the school, and are much more friendly and cordial to me since Hong Sing [the Chinese helper] came, because now I am better understood. But while they are constantly shifting about to get employment, I am afraid the good accomplished cannot be very great.”