166 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



presenting his own belief. . . . In our judgment, 

 the entire existing system of procedure with 

 candidates, as far as it relates to theological 

 views, is one that requires to be modified. Such 

 modification, after earnest, and, we may per- 

 haps not improperly add, prayerful deliberation 

 on this important matter, we are prepared unani- 

 mously to propose. The change we suggest is 

 one which we regard as not only better in itself 

 than the method now in use, but one which we 

 are convinced the present condition of the 

 board's affairs renders indispensably necessary." 

 The committee, therefore, in addition to the 

 modifications which it recommended in the 

 financial administration of the board, advised, 

 with reference to the missionary appointments, 

 that questions 1 and 2, Section VI, of the " Man- 

 ual for Missionary Candidates " be amended so 

 that they shall read as follows : 



1. What arc your views respecting each of the lead- 

 ing doctrines of Scripture commonly held by the 

 churches sustaining this board? In answering this 

 question, you may use your own language, or refer to 

 any creeds of acknowledged weight. 



2. Have you any views at variance with those doc- 

 trines, or any views of church government which 

 would prevent your cordial co-operation with the mis- 

 sionaries of this board ? 



These questions beiag so amended, all applications 

 for missionary appointment shall be made as now to 

 the corresponding secretaries of the board. Without 

 further correspondence on doctrinal matters the com- 

 munications tnus received by the secretaries shall be 

 presented forthwith to the Prudential Committee. In 

 case the committee desire further scrutiny into the 

 theological opinions of the candidate, this shall be had 

 through an interview with the committee as a body ; 

 or, in case this in any special instance is not practica- 

 ble, with a sub-committee appointed by them from 

 their own number and consisting in part of laymen. 

 At such theological examination by the committee or 

 sub -committee the doors shall be open for the pres- 

 ence of any members of the board or personal friends 

 of the candidate. 



These recommendations were adopted. 



The committee of fifteen, which had been ap- 

 pointed two years previously "to consider the 

 relations of the board to the churches and indi- 

 viduals who make it their missionary agent, and 

 the expediency, in view of the facts which they 

 may ascertain, of securing a closer union be- 

 tween them, especially including the subject of 

 the selection of corporate members," reported 

 that it had sought information concerning the 

 feeling of the churches on the subject by send- 

 ing out circulars to those which were considera- 

 ble contributors to the funds of the board, asking 

 for expressions of their views upon it. Two 

 thirds of the churches failed to respond with any 

 expression of judgment, and less than 20 per 

 cent, of them recommended any change. The 

 committee were embarrassed by the great propor- 

 tion of the silent churches. 



Some of our number [the report says] would have 

 been in favor of proposing some method by which the 

 contributing churches should be more directly repre- 

 sented in the election of members of this board, some 

 would have favored the classes relation of honorary 

 to corporate members, and some would have been in 

 favor of submitting to the State and local bodies of 

 the Congregational churches the desirableness of 

 nomination by such bodies, while others were op- 

 posed to any and all of these suggested changes. Un- 

 der these circumstances, therefore, we deem it wise to 



make no proposition for action by the board at the 

 present time, and we unanimously join in the recom- 

 mendation that the committee be discharged, believ- 

 ing that whatever desire the churches or donors may 

 entertain has not yet found sufficient expression to 

 command at present any modification of our system. 



A motion to adopt the report and discharge 

 the committee was carried unanimously. The 

 meeting resolved upon the presentation of a me- 

 morial to the President and Congress of the 

 United States, asking that the Government " ini- 

 tiate and present, by treaty or otherwise, in such 

 ways as shall seem wise and fit, such proceedings 

 as may speedily lead to the universal prohibition 

 of all exportation of alcoholic liquors to the un- 

 uncivilized and half-civilized peoples " of Africa. 



American Missionary Association. The an- 

 nual meeting of the American Missionary Asso- 

 ciation was held in Northampton, Mass., begin- 

 ning Oct. 21. The Eev. William M. Taylor, D. D., 

 LL. D., presided. The current receipts of the 

 society for the year had been $408,039, which, 

 with the balance on hand at the close of the year, 

 made a total of $412,510. The expenditures had 

 been $412,421. Of the 5 chartered institutions 

 in the South, Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn., 

 and Talladega College, Alabama, had each more 

 than 500 students, with theological departments, 

 and Tougaloo University, Mississippi, had 883 

 students. The 20 normal and graded schools, situ- 

 ated in 7 different States, provide the same courses 

 of study, up to the college departments, as the 

 chartered institutions. "Of them, Le Moyne 

 School, at Memphis, Tenn., reported an attend- 

 ance of 600 students, and Ballard Normal 

 School of 595. Including the normal depart- 

 ments of the chartered institutions, 26 schools 

 for especially normal instruction for teachers 

 were aided by the association. The 53 common 

 schools were crowded with eager pupils. Manual 

 and industrial training form a part of the course 

 in all the schools. Three hundred and forty in- 

 structors were employed and 13,395 pupils were 

 enrolled in the 79 schools. A gain was recorded 

 of 19 schools, 80 teachers, and 3.301 students. 

 Much of this increase had been made possible by 

 means of the incomes from the Daniel Hand 

 fund. Of the pupils, 83 were in the theological, 

 67 in the collegiate, and 1,225 in the normal de- 

 partments. Of the church work in the South, 

 which is closely connected with the educational 

 work, there were returned 128 churches, with 

 107 missionaries, 7,970 members, and 14,492 pu- 

 pils in Sunday-schools, and 713 members had 

 been added by confession of faith. Missions and 

 schools among the Indians were sustained at the 

 Santee Agency, Nebraska, and at Oahe, Stand- 

 ing Rock, Fort Berthold, Rosebud, and Skoko- 

 mish stations, and the Ramona School, Santa 

 Fe, New Mexico ; and a station, with two mis- 

 sionaries, had been begun at Point Prince of 

 Wales, Alaska. These returned 9 churches, 

 with 438 members, 16 schools, 87 missionaries 

 and teachers, 527 pupils (of whom 12 were theo- 

 logical and 12 were normal students), and 640 

 pupils in Sunday-schools. The 18 schools for 

 the Chinese (2 more than in the previous year) 

 employed 33 teachers and were attended by 

 1,310 pupils, of whom 204 had ceased from idol- 

 atry, and 159 had given evidence of conversion 

 The pupils were all young men. The Bible was 



