MISSIONS, PROTESTANT. 



MISSISSIPPI. 



561 



during the past ten years Islam had increased 

 10 per cent., Christianity had gained 64 per 

 cent. Another like session was devoted to the 

 discussion of "Buddhism and other Kindred 

 Heathen Systems; their Character and Influ- 

 ence, compared with those of Christianity/' 

 The subject of a third session was " The Mis- 

 sions of the Roman Catholic Church to Heathen 

 Lands ; their Character, Extent, Influence, and 

 Lessons." On this subject the Rev. Principal 

 Mac Vicar, of Montreal, represented that while 

 the increase of Roman Catholic converts in 

 India was 3^ per cent., the United Protestant 

 missions were able to show an increase of 9 

 percent. The fourth subject was "Missions 

 and Commerce." The fifth and last open con- 

 ference was devoted to the discussion of " The 

 Intimate Relations between Home and Foreign 

 Missions and the Reaction of the Foreign Mis- 

 sionary Spirit on the Life and Unity of the 

 Church." Among the subjects considered at 

 the public meetings were " Christianizing Chi- 

 na," "Japan and China," "Missions One Hun- 

 dred Years Ago," "Medical Missions," " Mis- 

 sions in Turkey," "The Nile and the Niger," 

 "The Work in Oceania.'' "East and Central 

 Africa," " Women's Mission to Women," 

 "North and Central India," "South India and 

 Burmah," " Missions and Bible Societies.'' 

 "Material Agencies at Home," "The Church's 

 Duty," "The Missionary in Relation to Litera- 

 ture," and ' Missionary Comity." 



Resolutions were passed denouncing the 

 opium-trade in China which, it was asserted, 

 had prejudiced the people of that country 

 against all missionary efforts and the manu- 

 facture of opium in India; demanding the en- 

 tire suppression of the trade; condemning the 

 carrying on of the traffic in strong drink by 

 merchants belonging to Christian nations 

 among native races, especially in Africa ; ex- 

 pressing " grateful appreciation " of what His 

 Majesty, the King of the Belgians had done in 

 the cause of humanity and religion in Central 

 Africa, especially in founding the Congo Free 

 State; and deploring the extension of "state- 

 licensed vice" in India. A committee was ap- 

 pointed to present a memorial to the King of 

 the Belgians, urging him to use his influence in 

 the Congo Free State to secure the suppression 

 of the liquor-traflic there. 



Protestant Missionary Assembly in Mexico. A 

 General Assembly of Protestant Missionary 

 Workers in Mexico was held in the city of Mex- 

 ico, beginning January 31, at which the missions 

 of the Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal 

 South, Northern Presbyterian. Southern Pres- 

 byterian, Cumberland Presbyterian, Baptist, 

 Congregational, and Episcopal Churches and 

 the Society of Friends were represented. Dis- 

 cussions were held upon the questions of the 

 attitude to be borne toward the Roman Catho- 

 lic Church, a revision of the Spani.-h version 

 of the Scriptures and translation into the In- 

 dian dialect, the means of combating skepti- 

 cism in Mexico, comity and co-operation be- 

 VOL. xxvni. 36 A 



tween the different missions, and special topics 

 of ministerial qualification and agencies. An 

 agreement was adopted for the pur; 

 curing harmony in the workings of tin- several 

 missions and avoiding interference^ lutwecu 

 them ; and a committee was constituted with 

 authority to provide for another assembly at 

 some suitable time in the future. 



MISSISSIPPI. State Government. The follow- 

 ing were the State officers during the year : 

 Governor, Robert Lowry, Democrat : Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, G. D. Shands ; Secretary of 

 State, George M. Govan; Auditor, W. W. 

 Stone; Treasurer, W. L.Hemingway; Attor- 

 ney-General, T. M. Miller; Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction, J. R. Preston ; Chief-Justice 

 of the Supreme Court, J. A. P. Campbell ; 

 Associate Justices. J. M. Arnold and Timothy 

 E. Cooper. In January, the Legislature in 

 joint session chose J. F. Sessions, J. C. Kyle, 

 and Walter McLaurin, to be Railroad Commis- 

 sioners, to succeed J. F. Sessions, J. C. Kyle, 

 and William Me Willie. 



Legislative Session. The regular biennial ses- 

 sion of the Legislature began on January :}, 

 and ended March 8. Early in the session 

 Edward C. Walthall was re-elected, without 

 opposition, to the United States Senate, for the 

 term beginning in March, 1889. The most im- 

 portant legislation of the session relates to the 

 State finances. An act was passed authorizing 

 the issue of $500,000 of bonds payable in thirty 

 years, and bearing 4 per cent, interest, the 

 proceeds to be applied to the payment of $80,- 

 000 deposited by insurance companies with tha 

 State under an act of March 14, 1884; to the 

 payment of bonds issued in March, 1880. to 

 the amount of 246.000 ; and of bonds issued 

 in March, 1884, to the value of $153,500. 

 Another act provides that the rate of interest 

 payable by the State upon the Chick 

 school fund shall be 7 instead of 8 per cent, 

 after May 1. Over $8,000 will annually be 

 saved to the State by- this reduction. The 

 former railroad law was amended by giving 

 the railroad commissioners additional power, 

 and an act was passed requiring all steam rail- 

 roads to provide equal but separate accommo- 

 dations on each train for the two races, giving 

 conductors power to eject passengers who re- 

 fuse to ride in the car provided for their race, 

 and in. posing a fine on roads that do not com- 

 ply with the act. Another law provides for 

 the organization and equipment of an active 

 militia of the State, to be known as the Missis- 

 sippi National Guard. An act for equalizing 

 assessments separates the counties into classes, 

 and fixes the valuation of different qualities of 

 land in each class. In a majority of counties, 

 popular election of county superintendents of 

 education is provided for, instead of appoint- 

 ment by the State Board of Education. The 

 sum of" $30,000 is appropriated annually for 

 the relief of disabled Confederate soldiers and 

 of the widows of those who were killed in the 

 war. Pavments from this sum are awarded 



