In 1840 the first printing-press was set up in Oril- miah by the ingenious and efficient missionary printer, Mr. Breath, who died in 18G1. The Nestorians. who formerly had no printed copies of the sacred Scriptures, or any part of them, now have the Bible in both the ancient and vernacular languages, printed in parallel columns. Through the exertions of the missionaries they now have also quite a literature, embracing many volumes of religious books and tracts, together with spelling-books, gcograiihies, arithmetics, etc. A month- ly periodical, called T/ie Rays of Li;jht, is published, and read with much delight by the peo|)le; and there are now publishing two smaller periodicals, entitled Xif/ht of Toil and Siffnet Rin;/. In all, eleven thou- sand volumes have been printed at the mission ])ress. Native printers and bookbinders have been so well trained that since the death of Jlr. Breath they have jjrogressed without American help in this direction. The missionaries have, from the first, labored much in the good work of imparting the Gospel by oral in- struction in OrAmiah, and in the villages far and wide. Until 1868 all plans for the forming of separate church- es were opposed ; the missionaries therefore formed no churches, \visely preferring to promote the regenera- tion of the national churches — a good work and noble in purpose; but finding by experience that the old Church, as such, could not be reformed, or, as Dr. An- derson has it, " that the dead Church could not be gal- vanized into spiritual life" (ii,312), it was at last deter- mined that all who sought the higher life, and found it not in the national Church, should form reunions on the apos- tolic basis. There are now of such societies seventeen, with seventy-three congregations, and seven hundred and sixty-seven members. The attempt at separation from the national Church has resulted in the formation of a High-Church jiarfy, supported by Anglican High- Churchmen. The Church of Fngland has, however, refused to send missionaries into this field, and the only injury done by this movement to the American mission work is the delay which it has caused in bringing the independent societies into self-su]ii)orting condition. There are no doubt many others who are truly iiioiis, though they receive the sacraments in the national churches. Indeed, the missionaries preach much in the national churches, and enjoy the confidence of the pa- triarch and of many priests. It can certainly be assert- ed that the (Jospel is now preached among the Nestorian people not by the missionaries only. When the mission was commenced the ecclesiastics were not preachers, and their public religious services were not preaching services. But bisho]is and priests have been pujiils in the schools, and bishops and priests have felt the force of truth — have become new creatures in Christ .lesiis, and arc now, in some cases, zealous and impressive preachers. And some young men who have been edu- cated at the seminary, and have become apparently de- voted Christians, have been ordained by the bishops of their Church, an<l are thus fully introduced into the work of the ministry. The patriarch has at times op- posed, and some of the bishops, in l.S('>7. [indiibited the pious heli>ers of the mission from preaching in their dioceses; but, to a great extent, the whole field is and has been open to them, and among them are some who make extensive tours, not only on the jilain, but in the mountain districts, as zealous and al)le evangelists. Take it all in all, llic influence of tlie mission upon the
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condition and morals of the people has been most salu- tary. They have readily imbibed the spirit of Chris- tian civilization, and faithfully observed all the precepts of the Gospel. The influence of spiritual religion upon the pupils and their friends is manifest in all their daily walks in life, and their example is making a deep im- pression on those who have not yet been made objects of religious instruction. The schools that have been organized in the villages now help to support them- selves ; the mission having made it a rule to furnish no teacher, except in new villages, where a part of the support was not assumed by the people. In the j-ear 1861 upwards of five hundred dollars were contributed for the support of missions, and since then the sum has considerably increased. The missionary zeal is grow- ing constantly, and the Nestorians are anxious to be- come the bearers of the truth to other Asiatic peoples. At the annual con\-ention of helpers and representatives of the Nestorian churches held in Oct., 18U7, a demand was made for special mission fields; and in 1870 the mission resolved that they considered it a duty urged upon them to embrace at once within their efibrts the Armenians and the Mussulman sects of Central Persia; and they expressed the hope that the Board would
heartily endorse their action, and help them to carry it out without delay. The Board approving such a step, the Nestorians have since labored among the Armenians in Russia, and the same people at Tabriz, Hamadan (the ancient Ecbatana), Teheran, Ispahan, in Persia, and the numerous villages in the intervening regions— descend- ants, to a great extent, of Armenians carried captive, in 1G05, from the regions of Ararat by shah Abbas the Great.