3 vvi no sT n The Parr ado Street Sabbath School. By Isabel Mestres. The Sabbath school on Pa rrado street is very near the sea. The people who live in that vicin- ity devote themselves almost entirely to fishing. In June, 1906, I attended the services held in the Presbyterian Church of Caibare. and al- though I was in sympathy with the religion. I had not become a member of the church ; first, because I was not converted, and second, be- cause my parents were opposed to their children taking another religion. Nevertheless, I attend- ed the Sabbath school and tried to find others who might attend. With all this, I was still very worldly; but each day I was abandoning the things of the world and accepting those of the Gospel. Wher- ever I went, I spoke of the Gospel, and although I myself was not well instructed, I tried to tell others what I had heard in the service and in the Sabbath school. One day I went to visit a friend on Parrado street, who had a sick child. I carried her a card with a text that they had given me in the Sabbath school. By means of this text I was able to introduce the subject of religion and explain to the senora of the house what I then knew of the Saviour. I told her where I had learned it, and that she ought to try to have her children attend there also. She replied that it would be a good thing if her own children, with the rest of the children of the neighbor- hood, might learn of this, but that they would not be able to attend, for they did not always have shoes or clothes, or the things necessary to make them presentable in the church. The occupation of the children in that neigh- borhood is to aid their fathers in selling the fish. The most of them do not know how to read, for they do not have time to attend the school. Of religion they know very little, since their parents themselves rarely attend religious services, and many less speak to their children of God. It is distressing to see boys of seven or eight years of age smoking cigarettes and to- bacco that they buy with some cents that their fathers give them when they have finished sell- ing the fish. Seeing the earnest desire that the senora had for her children, I said to her: “Perhaps some day they will be able to put a Sabbath school here.” She offered me the use of her house, and then I told her she might mvite the children that she knew, and I would speak to my teacher in the Sabbath school to come there and teach them. As I was not a member of the church and was not fitted to take part in a work so great, I related the case to Miss Houston, mv teacher in the Sabbath school, and she very gladly accepted the idea. On the following Sabbath we started to the house mentioned, and found gathered about thirty children and some older persons. Miss Houston spoke to the older ones, wh’le T taught the children the texts and songs that I had learned in the Sabbath school. For some Sun- days we continued teaching, with very good at- tendance. The people at the door troubled us so much that the senora of the house armed her- self with a leather strap to keep order. After some time, a member of the family at that house took sick with phthisis, and we had to suspend the singing, which was the attraction to the children. By that time I had become a member of the church and had to go alone to the Sabbath school, on account of the absence of Miss Hous- ton. For almost three months I went to my Sab- bath school without having singing, by reason of the serious condition of the sick one. One day the priest heard of the sick girl and went to visit her. When he saw a Bible text placed on the wall, he said : “The Protestants are visiting this place. If this be true, before forty days the whole neighborhood through which tney pass and visit shall be covered with water.” The next Sabbath, almost no one at- tended and when I went to find out why they had not attended, they told me what the priest had said. I told them not to pay any attention to the predictions of the priest, and on the fol- lowing Sabbath some dared to come. But by this time the sick girl was so very ill that they would not permit us to enter, so we distributed tracts and “Manzanas de Oro” (Sabbath school paper) at the door. For two or three Sabbaths we had no classes, but I always went and visited them. A friend of mine, seeing mv earnestness and the desire of some of the children to attend, of- fered me the use of her house for the school un- til we should be able to have it in the other again. For some Sabbaths I had my class in that new house, but under many difficulties. Sometimes the senora went out at the hour for the class to meet, and I found the house shut, or there was some one sick and we could not sing, and finally a relative died, making it impossible to c^en the doors or windows for a long time, or to sing. The other sick one was better, and I returned to the other house, but the senora of the house told me that' her husband had said that he did not want any more Sunday schools in his house, as they always had sickness. I knew very well that the one who had given such counsel to that senor was the priest and a senorita, a string Romanist, who lived in the vicinity. I did not know what to do in such a case, but de- cided to visit the neighborhood, thinking that some neighbor would offer the use of his house. In one of these visits I found a senora whose son was my pupil in the Sabbath school. She told me that she had read the Bible in the epoch when its reading was prohibited, and that she desired to know more of the Gospel. I began to go every Tuesday to read to her the Bible, and one day, speaking of my Sabbath school and of the desire 1 had of opening it again, she ottered me the use of her house*, and from that time 1 commenced to have the school every Sabbath. In this house also there are many difficulties, for when there is no sickness in the house there is in the connection, and when they are in mourning the doors and windows must be kept closed and there must be no singing. The family in whose house we have the Sabbath school are regarded with indifference by their neigh- bors, and during the time of the presidential elections, the parents who had political views contrary to those of the said family, would not permit their child „n to attend. Now we have an attendance of twenty chil- dren and some grown people. Two senoritas. members of the church, assist me. We do not know what new difficulty will present itself, since no member of that family has shown a desire of entering the church. Executive Committee Foreign Missions Presbyterian Church, U. S. Nashville, Tenn.