"Marshall, in his admirable book on _Christian Missions_, assures us that the sum annually raised in England for missionary purposes, is not less than two millions sterling; but he also tells us, on the authority of the _Times_ newspaper, the consoling fact, that before one penny leaves England, half a million is consumed by the officers at home. We may rest quite satisfied that out of the £88,000 annually expended here in Dublin, a very decent sum goes every year to bring comfort, elegance, and luxury to the homes of pious agents and zealous ladies engaged in the good cause. We have also the consoling knowledge that English gold and the grace of conversion are very far, indeed, from correlatives. Even in pagan lands its only power is to corrupt the hearts of those to whom it purports to bring tidings of Gospel truth. The spirit which influences the missioners whom it sends forth, and the converts which it wins, is beautifully illustrated by a story told by a missionary--Mr. Yate. He holds the following dialogue with a converted New Zealander:--'When did you pray last?' 'This morning'. 'What did you pray for?' 'I said, O Christ, give me a blanket in order that I may believe'. This same Mr. Yate innocently records a letter written to him by a New Zealand convert, which aptly strikes off the character of master and disciple. 'Mr. Yate, sick is my heart for a blanket. Yes, forgotten have you the young pigs I gave you last summer? Remember the pigs which I gave you; you have not given me any thing for them. I fed you with sucking pigs; therefore I say, don't forget'. Need we wonder that such converts and such teachers were equally strangers to the blessings of Divine grace, and that the success of their preaching may be universally summed up in the words of a report which a famous Baptist preacher gave of his year's harvest. 'During last year', he writes, 'I had 25 candidates; out of that number six died, seven ran away, six are wavering backwards and forwards, and six are standing still'. So the good man's success was represented by large zero. The same characteristics in teacher and disciple mark the history of the crusade carried on against the religion of Ireland. The Irish New Zealander expects his blanket as the grand motive power of believing in souperism. The Irish Mr. Yate gets his 'sucking pig', and very often is ungrateful to his benefactors. In one word, if any success attend the efforts made by the proselytiser, it is read in the total overthrow of the morals as well as the faith of their victims".