The wonderful progress made in
China has been emphasised of late by
the Rev. Oriflith John, a long time mis
, sionary of the London Mu a unary
society, who has been visiting iu this
country. Forty years ago it was a crime
for a foreigner to loaru the Chinese
language, or for u Chinese to teach it to
bim ; and though the Nanking treaty
was made in 1812, when Mr. John went
to China, twenty five years ago, there
were only live places in the vast empire
in which a foreigner might dwell. The
great interior was still closed, as none
might go further thau could be reached
in twelve hours from a treaty port. The
whole empire is now open. Thirteen
out of the eighteen provinces have
been actually occupied by missionaries
and their families, the gospel has been
preached in nearly all the principal
cities and towns, and the Bible and
many forms of Christian literature are
| circulated everywhere.
Sponge Underclothing.
Sponge underclothing is the very
latest, some German genius having re
cently invented and patented a line of
11 underwear manufactured from this
. | porous substance. It is claimed for it
that it can bo cleansed more easily than
woolen goods, and being more flexible,
does not chafe the skin so much. It is
a bad conductor, and tends to keep the
1 ; surface temperature nniform. One who
wears this underclothing is not liable
to take cold, for it absorbs the perspira
tion without cheeking it. After the
; mineral and vegetable impurities in the
! sponges have be. n sufficiently beaten by
a heavy hammer to admit of being
1 readily washed out, the sponges are
! dried and prepared with a sharp knife.
These parings are then sewed together.
