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ON THE CONTINENT.

51

which she died, and the old Bible she used to read, with her name inscribed by her own hand; and then we went and stood beside the grave of 'Little Jane,' the young cottager, and felt our piety quickened and strengthened as we called to mind the life and death of these lambs of Christ's flock, who are now clothed with all the purity and holiness of heaven."

At Paris Mr. Righter, keeping the objects of his mission constantly in view, called upon several brethren interested in the Bible cause, from whom he learned many encouraging facts, not only relating to the circulation of the Scriptures in France, but especially in reference to the supply of the army going into the Crimea. The government had placed no obstacles in the way of furnishing the soldiers with the Bible, and the opportunity had been readily embraced as far as the funds in the hands of the Paris committee would allow. Dr. Grand Pierre, M. Presence, and Dr. Frederic Monod were especially interested in the objects he had in view.

At Geneva, in Switzerland, where he paused for two or three days, he called upon Dr. Cesar Malan, whom he had met on a previous visit; upon Dr. Merle D'Aubigné, and Col. Tronchin, who gave him much interesting information in reference to the efforts making for the spread of

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the Bible in Sardinia, in which the friends of the cause in Geneva were aided by funds from the American Bible Society. Here he also found the Rev. Mr. Whiting and his wife, missionaries to Syria, who had been spending the summer in Switzerland for the improvement of their health, and whom he had once met, and expected again to meet, on missionary ground. The Madiai family, who had well nigh proved martyrs to the reading of the Bible in Tuscany, were also sojourning in Geneva at the same time. Having been acquainted with them on his former visit to Europe, Mr. Righter renewed the acquaintance with heartfelt pleasure, sympathizing with them in the persecutions which they were called to endure, and as a representative of the friends of the Bible in this country, tendering to them the sympathy of Christians in America. This is, perhaps, the most appropriate place in which to insert a letter addressed to him by these exiled and suffering servants of Christ, in reply to one he had written from Constantinople about two months after this yisit.

"RUE ST. ANTOINE, MAISON BOERI, "Ancienne route de France, Feb. 2d, 1855.

"MY DEAR SIR: I feel most grateful to you for your kind remembrance of us, and very much obliged to your dear mother for the beautiful spe

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cimen of the silver-weed, as well as for the very appropriate verses which accompanied it. I shall preserve it carefully in my English Bible as a memento of Christian kindness and sympathy from the New World. It touches me much that Mrs. Righter should have given such an honorable place to such an unworthy gift.

"I regret to say that the Bible, in question, was taken with many other books by the Tuscan Government, and we have never been enabled to recover them; so that you see it is quite out of my power, unfortunately, to grant your request. I hope you will be so good as to mention this to Monsieur le Docteur Brigham.

"Two months back I took the liberty of writing to Mr. Cook, encouraged to do so by his having desired me, should I want anything, to address myself to him; as through the Lord's goodness I had not any personal favor to request, I ventured to ask his aid for an object which I have very much at heart, namely, the educating of four young girls (children of parents who have suffered for the truth), and who are to be afterwards employed, if the Lord will, as teachers in schools, in order to disseminate the pure light of the glorious gospel in this benighted land. I also asked his help to get some tracts printed in Italian, which have been already translated, and which we would have distributed in the mountains as well as in

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the towns of my native land. The funds we have are quite insufficient to complete either of these objects, they are more particularly under the direction of the Count Guicciardini, who is a wellknown Christian, and extremely generous for everything which tends to promote the glory of his Lord and Master. A letter addressed here, to the Poste-Restante, to him, or to the Doctor Malan, at Geneva, would be sure to find them.

'My husband joins me in every kind wish for you and your mother, Mrs. Righter, and he desires me to salute you both in the words of the sixth chapter of Numbers, verses 24, 25, and 26. "And again cordially thanking you for your welcome letter and acceptable present,

"I remain,

"Your humble servant in the Lord,

"FRANCESCO and

"ROSA MADIAI.”

After pausing in Geneva Mr. Righter proceeded on his journey reaching Turin on the afternoon of Saturday, and left immediately for the Waldensian valley, where he spent the Sabbath, together with two friends, who were his travelling companions, Messrs. Prime and McCormick. This visit was one of deep interest to all who shared in its opportunities of Christian intercourse. The party arrived late in the evening at La Tour, but

WALDENSIAN WORSHIP.

55

upon calling in the morning on the professors of the college they were warmly received, and the Sabbath, spent in communion and in worshipping with the Waldensian Christians, was one never to be forgotten. They were invited in the morning to walk out some two or three miles to one of the mountain churches, where they found the young men of the parish drawn up in martial array, fully equipped, as for an engagement. This had been their practice since the days when their fathers had to worship God in the constant apprehension that their persecutors might the next moment be upon them to silence the voice of prayer and of praise. It was a touching sight, on entering the little mountain chapel, to see the aged fathers and mothers assembled for the morning worship waiting in silence for it to commence, and with a devout and humble spirit entering heartily into the service. As one and another entered they stood for a few moments in silent prayer, and then sat down to unite in the service. Near this chapel, upon the mountain side, was a rock overhanging a precipice, from which, in the days of persecution, many victims of papal malice, chiefly women and little children, were thrown and cruelly murdered a spot which awakens memories and emotions thrilling to every Protestant heart. But it was a pleasure to these Protestants from the New World to find the children

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