504 



METHODISTS. 



Whole number of members and probation- 

 ers, 1,742,922, showing an increase of 42,620 

 over the number returned in 1879 ; number of 



local preachers, 12,555. Number of Sunday- 

 schools, 21,093, with 222,379 officers and 

 teachers, and 1,602,334 scholars; number of 

 baptisms during the year, 58,535 of children 

 and 59,330 of adults; number of churches, 

 17,561, valued at $64,131,306 ; number of par- 

 sonages, 5,844, valued at $8,750,513. Of the 

 traveling preachers, 1,152 are returned as 

 "on trial," 8,719 as in full connection, 752 

 as "supernumerary," and 1,314 as "super- 

 annuated." 



The total sales of the Book Concern at New 

 York and Cincinnati, for the year 1879- 1 80, 

 amounted to $1,465,522 in value. The Con- 

 cern at New York issued during the year 

 585,835 volumes of books, and 1,052,500 pages 

 of tracts. Twenty periodicals are published 

 under the authority of the General Conference, 

 and fifty-three other periodicals are published 

 in the interest of the Church. 



The educational institutions under the direct 

 supervision of the Church comprise eleven the- 

 ological seminaries and institutes, forty-four 

 colleges and universities, and about one hundred 

 and thirty seminaries and women's schools, 

 which give instruction to about 21,000 students, 

 and have property valued at $11,560,000. 



The annual meeting of the General Mission- 

 ary Committee of the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church was held in the city of New York, 

 beginning November 3d. The principal duties 

 of the committee were to examine the reports 

 of the condition of the missionary funds, to 

 determine the amount that would be required 

 for the support of the domestic, foreign, and 

 other missions during the ensuing year, to fix 

 th,e amount that should be contributed by each 

 conference and mission-field toward this sum, 

 and to decide upon the amount to be appro- 

 priated to each mission-field. The Treasurer 

 reported that the total receipts of the Society 

 from November 1, 1879, to October 31, 1880, 

 had been $557,371 against $551,859 received 

 in the previous year, and that the liabilities 

 of the Society had been increased by $49,113, 

 its total indebtedness now being $112,150. 

 About $105,000 had been spent upon missions 

 during the past year more than were spent 

 on the same missions during the previous 

 year. 



Appropriations were made for the work on 

 the various mission-fields as follows : 



I. FOREIGN MISSIONS : 



Africa (including Liberia and work in the inte- 

 rior) $9,000 



South America (Buenos Ayres and Monte- 

 video, etc.) 1 1,517 



China 53,359 



Germany and Switzerland 24,000 



Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden). . 43.958 



India 62.927 



Bulgaria and Turkey 12,854 



Italy 25,000 



Mexico 27,564 



Japan 80,000 



Total for foreign missions $299,174 



II. MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES NOT IN AN- 



NUAL CONFERENCES (in the Territories and 

 among Indians; 40,700 



