Mr. W. C. Amos,

Aetna Furnace, Lawrence Co., O.

Dear Bro. As I write your name, your familiar countenance comes vividly up before me, and I long to reach across the 9,000 miles of land and sea between us, and take you once more by the hand. But while that is impossible, I am glad that I can speak to you through the medium of pen and paper, and it is with pleasure that I lay aside my Chinese primer, and sit down to have a friendly chat with you.

The "primer" to which I refer is a quarto volume of 300 pages, containing about 2,000 Chinese characters, all of different meanings, and of every variety of shape, size, and pronounciation. When I have learned them all, I shall be expected to have laid a good foundation for the acquisition of the language. It will take me perhaps a year to do this, and at the end of that time I shall have just fairly entered upon the task before me. Patience and perseverance were never in greater demand than at present, and I am thankful that I can say I am not at all discouraged, and that all difficulties and obstacles are gradually melting away before me.

The characters I have to learn are of all the shapes between a straight line and a broken-backed chair, and are expressed by all the sounds between the miaow of a cat and the moo of a cow, and ever other you can think of. Some have a hissing tone, some a buzzing, some are guttural, some aspirated, some are uttered one way, but the most another, and the slightest variation in the tone may make a painful change in the meaning. I enclose a small specimen of Chinese writing on native paper, executed in my own room, and by my own awkward fingers. The names of the characters I do not append, for I doubt if they can be represented by any combination of English letters. Besides I suppose the sight of the characters will be enough for you, without inflicting on you their sound.

I have as pleasant a home here as I ever found anywhere. I am living with the Superintendent of the Mission, Bro. V. C. Hart, and he is a perfectly genial companion in every respect, and one of the most earnest Christian workers I ever met with. Full of the life and power of religion of the gospel himself, he is daily trying to infuse the same into the hearts of the dark-minded idolaters around us. And his labors are not unsuccessful.

I reached this place July 25th, and for some two or three weeks found the heat of the climate very trying. Not that it was any warmer than in Ohio, but the heat was more steady and constant. Recently we have had a break-up, and now it is delightfully cool. I never enjoyed better health than since I have been here. My home is on the bank of the Yangtsekiang River (which is larger than the Ohio at this place), outside of the walled city. All large cities in China have walls around them. That of Nankin, some distance below here, is 21 miles in length. The people swarm like bees everywhere, and it is a matter of surprise where they all find means of subsistence. They treat us very civilly, and we feel perfectly safe among them. They are only too glad to make a few cents by doing errands for us.

The interest which the natives take in our meetings is quite encouraging, Bro. Hart

has a crowd to preach to every afternoon in the week, and a congregation can be collected in a few minutes at any hour of the day. When I attend the meetings, and see how eagerly the people gather around the speaker, and how earnestly many of them listen to the sound of the gospel, I long for the time when I too shall be able to proclaim to them in their own tongue the unsearchable riches of Christ.

There are upwards of forty foreigners here, and we have a fine little church, in which English services are held every Sabbath morning. Truly it is pleasant, in this heathen land, to be able to meet together and worship God, with no one to molest us or make us afraid.

By the time you receive this letter the Ohio Conference will have been held, and the changes on Lawrence Circuit, if there are any, will be made. I hope that whatever alteration is made in the work, Pine Grove and Hecla Furnaces will not be left out in the cold. Many, many times do my thoughts revert to the brethren at those places, and at Vesuvius and Aetna, and they seem dearer to me now than ever before. I miss greatly the spirited meetings we had in those societies, and I remember how often I was blessed in trying to dispense the word of life to those people. I was always glad when my appointment fell at Aetna, for I was always sure to come away from it refreshed in body and soul. Yet while I am deprived of those privileges, I find that Jesus is just as near to me here as ever He was in America. Bro. Amos, when I came to China, I brought my religion with me, and it has been an unbounded comfort to me all the time. I never enjoyed it more, and my joy seems to be continually accumulating. I love my work; I feel that God has called me here; and Oh! I want to live 40 or 50 years among this people, and assist in planting the triumphant standard of the cross all over this benighted land.

Remember me most kindly to the society at Aetna. I long to hear that they are still aglow with the fire of religion. Tell Bro. Rust in particular, that my heart goes out after him, and that I pray God earnestly that the grand work which God has wrought in his soul may never be brought to nought by the adversary. Give my very kind regards also to Bro. Wakefield, who is as dear to me as a brother. I should love to receive a letter from him.

I was very sorry that I had to come away from the Circuit without saying to you goodby. Our farewell meeting at Pine Grove, was a most memorable one, and the remembrances of those hours are precious to me in this distant land. How I wish you would have been there! I hope Bro. M'Conaughy is still all right. I had a hard struggle to part with that man, and the tears often come to my eyes when I think of him. O it is the longing desire of my heart to hear that he and all the other dear brethren I left there are still on the side of Christ, and nearing the eternal kingdom. Pray for me, and remember the Missionary cause in general at a throne of grace.

And now you must find time to write me at least one letter. It will be like "cold waters to a thirsty soul." Tell me all about the work, and how the societies are prospering. Remember me kindly to all your family, and to Miss Little. Address Kiukiang, China, via San Francisco.

Most aff. yrs,

A. Stritmatter