schools of technology, where tliey will not onl 

 tin- lii-ail t'li! (ho I nuida kino, and make of their buys 

 killed wurkuifii at some trade or calling, .sending them 

 out equipped to tight life's battle honorably and suc- 

 cessfully, and to become self-reliant. Mtf-M^WtUC. 

 nd self-sustaining cituciis. " The increased oust of 

 the technological system, apparently, will uot exceed 

 $30 per annum, per capita. 



Reloruiatorici, lur juvenile delinquents, throughout 

 the United States, compare very favorably wilh die 

 best in other countries, and in n lormatory results have 

 not been excelled anywhere. The annual conferences | 

 ot those enraged in reformatory work, by affording 

 opportunity tor an exchange of experiences, have done 

 much to improve our reformatory institutions, and a 1 

 steady advance is thus maintained. 



In resent years much discussion has been had upon 

 the comparative meriu of what is known as the Con- 

 gregate system, and the Cottage or family system, 

 which has not yet been settled, although the prepon- 

 derance of opinion, at present, seems to be in tavor of 

 the latter. Doubtless both have their merits. The 

 ( 'ongregate system in the simplest, and can be managed 

 the easiest by one controlling mind, but it lacks oppor- 

 tunity for a classification of inmates. The Cottage 

 system affords a larger classification, but requires a 

 superior efficiency in the subordinate control of each 

 cottage, which is difficult to secure. Evidently, there- 

 fore, more depends upon efficiency of administration 

 than upon the system, and upon the ability to obtain this 

 efficiency this question of superiority must be decided. 



Clearly what is needed in all of our American insti- 

 tutions, whether Mention) or charitable, is not so 

 much a change of system as a higher efficiency in 

 administration, which can only be obtained by a service 

 based upon intelligence, experience, and integrity, to- 

 gether with a tenure in office which shall not be dis- 

 turbed bv political changes. (u. B.) 



REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA. 

 HISTORICAL SKETCH. The colonists from the 

 Netherlands established public worship on the island 

 of Manhattan soon after they had made their first perma- 

 nent settlement As early as l(il>d it was conducted 

 by two " Krankbesoeckers " or visitors of the sick. 

 In 1628 a church was organized by the Rev. Jonas 

 Michaelius with about fifty memU-rs. lie was followed 

 by the Rev. Evorardus Bogardu.s, who was accompanied 

 by the first schoolmaster, Adam Roclandscn. The 

 parochial school then established has continued to the 

 present day. Bogardus married the widow Annetje 

 Janse, whose farm became the valuable litigated 

 property of Trinity Church, New York. The first 

 church building, a small wooden structure, wax erected 

 during the ministry of Bogardus on Broad street, be- 

 tween Pearl and Bridge. _ The second was erected in 

 I'UJ, during the administration of director Kieft, 

 within the walls of Fort Amsterdam on the Battery. 

 Jly the articles of surrender in 1064 the ecclesiastical 

 rights possessed by the Dutch at the time were guar- 

 anteed to them. They continued in possession of the 

 church in the fort, but courteously allowed the Km.' 

 lish military chaplains to use it when not oocupicd by 

 them. Alter the completion of their new church in 

 il.irdeti street they abandoned the one in the fort, 

 which continued to be used by the English garrison 

 until 1741. At the time of the surrender New Am- 

 sterdam contained about I .'<< x > inhabitants, and there 

 were only five churches and six ministers in the whole 

 province of New Ncthcrland. Oilier churches were 

 subsequently planted in the various settlements in the 

 province. These churches were provided with pastors 

 by the Dutch West India Company and the Clossis of 

 Amsterdam, and in a short time they came entirety 

 under the can- of tliat clawiH. They remained in thin 

 State of siilxirdination and without a completely inde- 

 pendent organization until the year I7V4. This long 

 period was one of striicgles with many and great diffi- 

 culties, and consequently of slow growth. 



MKD ciiiKcii 



This body of Christians is at present small among 

 nominations, and surprise is often expressed 

 that the one thai was first on the ground in New York 

 should have fallen ho t'.ir bcdiind. But little progress 

 could be expected when there was a continuous strug- 

 gle tor lite. 1. The surrender to the English had its 

 effect, for it cheeked immigration and caused it to 

 cease almost entirely, and many persons returned to 

 their original homes; it also gave the advantage of 

 otlieial patronage to the English or Episc.ipal Church, 

 which became virtually the " Church by law estab- 

 lished.'' as was indeed opmK claimed. '2. During 

 this long period of nearly a century and a half the 

 Dutch language was exclusively used in public worship, 

 caiechiziiiL'. etc., and so growth could not be more 

 rapid than the natural increase of the Dutch popula- 

 tion allowed. The door was closed against all Kiiuli^h- 

 spcaking CalvinUts, Scotch and Irish Piy.-hv teiians, 

 and Congregationalists. The delay in the introduction 

 of the English language in public worship, which waf 

 desired and urged by many, caused numbers of the 

 young people, who were educated in English, to joic 

 the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches ; the strift 

 produced by the agitation of the question drove man) 

 lovers of peace into other communions, and when al 

 last the English was introduced, the uncompromising 

 opponents ,>t it took their leave and joined the I 

 Hi and Presbyterian Churches. 3. The lack of in- 

 dependent organization was a serious hindrance ; for 

 the final court of appeals in cases of discipline was m 

 the mother country, and all important mailers that 

 were here agitated had to be reviewed by the ( 'l:i 

 Amsterdam. 4. The want of institutions for the edu- 

 cation and of authority for the ordination of ministers 

 was a great hindrance. Ministers were sent from 

 Holland to supply the American churches, and young 

 men in this country who desired the ministry were 

 sent to the universities of Holland to be educated, and 

 to be there ordained. Differences of opinion on this 

 matter divided the churches into two parties, a pro- 

 gressive and conservative, denominated the Coetus and 

 Conferentie, the controversy between whom on (lie 

 question of ecclesiastical independence and ministerial 

 education brought the church to the brink of ruin. In 

 177! these parties were brought together in a conven- 

 tion held in New York, and a "Plan of Union" was 

 adopteii to which the ecclesiastical authorities in the 

 Netherlands assented. 



In 1794 the "Reformed Church in America" attained 

 to full ecclesiastical independence by the adoption of a 

 constitution embracing the church orders of the Synod 

 of Dort, and articles explanatory of the ways iu 

 which they should be applied in this country. In 

 this work of reconciliation and of organization the 

 leader and ruling spirit was Rev, John 11 Livingston, 

 D.D., a young man who had a short time before com- 

 pleted his studies at the University of Utrecht, and 

 who was one of the pastors of the Collegiate Reformed 

 Dutch Church of New York city, and who in 17S4 

 was appointed the first professor of theology. The 

 efforts of the church were for a long time chiefly de- 

 voted to the establishment of educational institutions 

 for the preparation of young men for the ministry. A 

 charter for Queen's College was obtained in 1 "fid, 

 which, however, on account of some imperfections, 

 never went into effect. A second charter waf obtained 

 in 1770 and the college was established at New 

 Brunswick, N. J. , where it continues under the name 

 of Rutgers, given to it in 1825. It is in a flourishing 

 condition under the presidency of Merrill E. Gates, 

 LL.D. The theological professorship of Dr. Living- 

 ston has been developed into a theological school lo- 

 cated at New Brunswick, N. J.. with ample huildinirs 

 and endowments, a corps of five professors, a valuable 

 Biblical Museum, and the Gardner A. Sage Library. 

 containing 40,000 admirably selected volumes, ana 

 which is acknowledged by competent judirns to be on* 

 of the best working theological libraries in tho United 



