472 



METHODISTS. 



ing November no measurable quantity of rain falls. 

 It is worthy of remark that during the seven dry 

 months, though under a tropical sun, vegetation is 

 not arrested, although even slight dew is very rare- 

 ly observed. The daily barometric range is very 

 regular, and amounts to about O'lo inch. The at- 

 mospheric waves are so similar that the barometric 

 curves overlie each other as nearly as possible ; de- 

 pressions such as are frequent in our latitudes do 

 not occur at any part of the year; even the passage 

 of a thunderstorm is not shown upon the baro- 

 graph traces. The absolute highest temperature 

 recorded was 109'9 F., in November, and the low- 

 est 54'5 P., in August. The annual rainfall 

 amounted to 29 - 6 inches, of which 10 inches fell in 

 December. The greatest amount observed in twen- 

 ty-four hours was only 1 inch. 



METHODISTS. I. Methodist Episcopal 

 Church. (> ne hundred and forty-five annual or- 

 ganizations are included in the plan of episcopal 

 visitation of this Church, of which 124 are classed 

 as conferences, 9 as mission conferences, and 12 as 

 missions. The statistical tables of the Church, as 

 published in the "Methodist Yearbook "for 1897, 

 give it 21 bishops, 17,234 traveling ministers in 

 full connection and on trial, 14,086 local preachers, 

 2,825,694 lay members and probationers, 30,849 

 Sunday schools, with 355,899 officers and teachers 

 and 2,607,241 pupils, 25,849 churches, valued at 

 $109,641,191, and 10,059 parsonages, having a prob- 

 able value of $16,880,417. The number of baptisms 

 during the year was 88,360 of children, and 118,315 

 of adults. 



The total sales of the two publishing houses in 

 New York and Cincinnati with their depositories 

 at Boston. Mass., Pittsburg, Pa., San Francisco, 

 Cal.. and Detroit, Mich., for 1896, amounted to 

 $7.950,096. The aggregate amount of sales since 

 the division of the Church in 1844 is returned at 

 $60,679,380. 



The receipts of the Sunday-school Union for 1895 

 were returned to the General Conference as having 

 been $23,889 ; and for the four years ending with 

 that year, $96,150. The receipts of the Tract 

 Society for 1895 were $20,653. 



The National Association of Local Preachers was 

 organized in 1858, and was incorporated under the 

 laws of the State of Maryland in 1883. Its objects 

 as set forth in its charter are to unite more closely 

 all accredited local preachers of the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church, to promote education and tem- 

 perance, and to secure pecuniary relief for sick and 

 disabled members. It is composed of delegates 

 chosen by local and conference associations, who 

 have the exclusive right of voting when a yea-and- 

 nay vote is taken, and local preachers attending 

 and having themselves enrolled, who may partici- 

 pate in the business and vote on general questions. 

 It holds annual meetings, and has about 300 mem- 

 bers. It owns and controls Taylor University, at 

 Upland, Ind., publishes the " Local Preachers' 

 Magazine," and maintains an aid society. 



The organization of the young people of this 

 Church was first agitated in 1872, when a memorial 

 of the " Church Lyceum " was presented to the 

 General Conference. Several societies were formed, 

 independent of one another. A general desire being 

 felt for a single organization, the representatives of 

 five of these bodies met in Cleveland, Ohio, in May, 

 1889, and formed the Epworth League. This 

 society was formally recognized by the General 

 Conference of 1892. At the celebration of its 

 seventh anniversary, during the General Conference 

 of 1896, it had 16~,306 regular chapters and 4.663 

 junior chapters, with an aggregate of 1,500.000 

 members. The League is managed by a Board of 

 Control, the members of which are partly appointed 



by the bishops and partly elected by General Con- 

 ference districts. 



Twenty-three deaconesses' homes in the Unitsd 

 States, 7 in Germany and Switzerland, 6 in India 

 and Malaysia, 1 in China, and 1 at Cape Palrnas, 

 Africa, with a number not specified under the care 

 of conferences and the Woman's Home Missionary 

 Society, return 630 deaconesses and probationers, 

 with property valued at $644,175, 6.250 meetings 

 held or assisted in, 3,767 sick cared for in hospitals, 

 and 1,630 sick cared for in their homes. 



Ten institutions for children, 10 hospitals, 6 

 homes for the aged, 1 mission institute, 8 missionary 

 (woman) and deaconesses training schools, 28 City 

 Evangelization Unions (organized into a National 

 Union), and 8 historical societies are enumerated in 

 the " Methodist Yearbook " as being under Metho- 

 dist direction. 



The annual meeting of the College Presidents' 

 Association of this Church was held at Evanston, 

 111., Nov. 17 and 18. President II. W. Rogers, of 

 Northwestern University, presided. A paper by 

 Dr. Planz, President of Lawrence University, Ap- 

 pleton, Wis., favored the. grouping of the institu- 

 tions of the Church about a few larger univer- 

 sities as centers, where most liberal provisions might 

 be afforded for post-graduate study. Other papers 

 were on " Teaching Religion in Colleges," by Chan- 

 cellor McDowell, of Denver, Col. ; " College Morals 

 and College Discipline," by Dr. C. H. Payne, of the 

 Board of Education ; " To fulfill its Ideal should 

 the Church College include a College Church I" by 

 President Warren, of Boston University : and a 

 general discussion took place of the question, 

 " \Vhat should be the Educational Policy of the 

 Methodist Episcopal Church f " The principals of 

 academies and preparatory schools were invited to 

 meet with the association at its next session, with a 

 view to forming an organization of schools of that 

 class. 



Church Extension Society. The General Com- 

 mittee on Church Extension met in Pittsburg, Pa., 

 Nov. 5. The receipts for the year were reported to 

 have been $226,753 viz., $145,831 for the general 

 fund available for donations and $80,922 for the 

 Loan fund (for loans only). Four hundred and sev- 

 enty-one formal applications for donations or loans 

 had been received, of which 367 were granted, and 

 allowed donations of $23,700 and loans of $89.050. 

 These amounts were considerably below what were 

 asked by the churches. In the great majority of 

 the 104 cases of applications declined the refusal 

 was on account of lack of funds. " The value of 

 the Loan fund in Church extension," the report avers, 

 " has been fully established. It has afforded tem- 

 porary aid in the general work of the board which 

 would not have been possible without it." The 

 capital of this fund, including annuity funds, had 

 nearly reached a million dollars, and in the use of 

 this capital and of loans returned the board had 

 been able to afford temporary aid to churches by- 

 loans of more than $2,000,000. The collection of 

 loans had been greatly hindered by the severe finan- 

 cial depression. The board were instructed to 

 maintain a vigorous and strict administration of 

 the Loan fund, but authorized where the borrowing 

 church can not pay the principal without great 

 sacrifice to extend the loan on condition of pay- 

 ment of the interest to date and prompt payments 

 in the future. The sum of $303,225 was decided 

 upon as the amount to be asked from the annual 

 conferences during the ensuing year, and to be ap- 

 propriated to them in turn. The reception of a 

 legacy of $5,000 was reported to the General Com- 

 mittee during the meeting. 



Freedmeii's Aid and Southern Education 

 Society. The General Committee of the Freed- 



