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336 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.within their spheres of operation. Each society alsoreceived a grant of 2,000 beautiful coloured pictures ofscriptural subjects. These were sold at five cents eachand were much appreciated by those who were fortunateenough to purchase before the stock was cleared out.The preacher s libraries were eagerly taken up bythe Chinese pastors, and some of the letters of thanksreceived were pathetic proofs that only the meagrenessof their salaries prevents many good men from beingbetter equipped for their work than they are.So much impressed was thehome committee by theappreciative letters written by men who need the help ofgood books and who will use these books to the bestadvantage that each society has been granted this yearthe privilege of making 100 additional grants to someof the preachers who failed to get the libraries theyapplied for last year.The R. T. S. has also, through the media of thetract societies in their districts, made valuable donationsof coloured cartoons and texts to many hospitals inChina, thus bringing a gleam of colour into the drablives of the patients who are under treatment andawakening in their minds curiosity to hear the Gospelstory represented by the picture on the wall.The Chinese Tract Society (61 Range Road, Shanghai) reports the }^ear 1909 as being perhaps the mostprosperous in its existence "Our prosperity has beenbeyond our fondest hopes." (Report.)During the year, nineteen new works were published,making 132,650 copies and 2,379,800 pages. Seventy-twoof the standard works of the society have been reprinted,making 430,000 copies of more than 10,000,000 pages.There was distributed from the depository 473,907 copiesof books and tracts, equal to 12,141,410 pages.The Society expended during the year some $15,609,and closes the financial year with a working balance