ADVENTISTS. 



AFGHANISTAN. 



people whom God ha8 highly honored in mak- 

 ing them in past ages the depositaries of his 

 law and Sabbath;" and the desire was ex- 

 pressed, "so far as practicable, to cooperate 

 with them in leading men to the conscientious 

 observance of the commandments of God." 

 A declension was noticed from both the health 

 and dress reforms, and the people were en- 

 treated "to arouse and make these subjects 

 matters of conscience." Increased confidence 

 was professed in the gift of the "spirit of 

 prophecy which God has so mercifully placed 

 in the third angel's message ; " the endeavor 

 was resolved upon " to maintain an affection- 

 ate regard for its presence and its teach- 

 ings ; " and the Executive Committee were re- 

 quested to prepare, or cause to be prepared, a 

 work giving the reasons for believing the tes- 

 timonies of a Sister White to be the teachings 

 of the Holy Spirit. The Executive Committee 

 were advised to take steps for the speedy pub- 

 lication of tracts and periodicals in other lan- 

 guages. Measures were taken to secure the 

 consolidation of the systems of the Tract and 

 Missionary Societies by some general organi- 

 zation, and for the formation of an Educational 

 Society. 



The meeting of the General Conference in 

 August, 1874, was held in connection with the 

 National Camp-meeting of the denomination, 

 which continued from the 6th to the 17th of 

 the month. The organization of the General 

 Tract and Missionary Society was completed. 

 Keports from about one-half of the local Tract 

 and Missionary Societies connected with the 

 State Conferences showed that sixteen million 

 pages of tracts had been distributed and sold 

 during the year. - Elder J. N. Andrews was 

 commissioned as a missionary to Europe, with 

 instructions to look after the Swiss Mission 

 and other points of interest on the Continent. 

 Progress was reported in the efforts to estab- 

 lish a denominational school. The school had 

 been opened, under the care of Mr. S. Browns- 

 berger, a graduate of the Michigan University. 

 A fine brick building for its use was nearly 

 completed, on a lot of twelve acres' extent. 

 The report of the Seventh-Day Adventist Pub- 

 lishing Association, made at its fourteenth 

 annual meeting, November 17, 1873, showed 

 the amount of its assets to have been then 

 $119,707.51, and its debts $37,319.12, leaving 

 $82,388.39 as the value of its net assets. 



II. ADVENT CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. The 

 National Advent Camp-meeting of the Advent 

 Christian Association was held at Springfield, 

 Massachusetts, August 6th to 8th. . A meeting 

 of ministers was held just before the camp- 

 meeting, to consult on topics involving the in- 

 terest of the work of the Association "in 

 spreading the knowledge of the speedy coming 

 of the Lord, 11 at which a congregational form 

 of government .was devised. Each organized 

 church, with its members and officers, will re- 

 main an independent body, but the formation 

 was recommended of quarterly, State, and 



General Conferences, as " advisory and sua&ive 

 bodies for the more perfect work of producing 

 harmonious and efficient labor in all parts of 

 the country." 



The annual meeting of the American Ad- 

 vent Missionary Society was held in connec- 

 tion with the camp-meeting, August 12th. The 

 treasurer reported his total receipts to have 

 been $5,112.74, and his total expenditures 

 $4,692.99. This Society was organized in 

 1865 ; since which, to the time of the present 

 meeting, it had received and expended for its 

 work $33,000. 



III. EVANGELICAL ADVENTISTS. The Amer- 

 ican Evangelical Advent Conference was held 

 at the Hebron Camp - ground, Hebronville, 

 Massachusetts, August 20th and 22d. The 

 Committee on Worship reported an order of 

 service. The Committee on Systematic Be- 

 nevolence reported that the action of the Con- 

 ference of the previous year had been carried 

 out, and that preparations had been made to 

 continue the prosecution of their work. The 

 Committee on Ordinations reported that no 

 cases for ordination had been presented. 



The annual meeting of the American Millen- 

 nial Association, which has charge of the busi- 

 ness and publishing interests of the denomina- 

 tion, was held at Hebronville, August 20th. 

 The treasurer reported his receipts for the 

 year ending July 1, 1874, to have been, includ- 

 ing the balance and cash on hand at the be- 

 ginning of the year, $7,657.10, and his expen- 

 ditures, $6,689.01. 



IV. LIFE AND ADVENT UNION. The annual 

 camp-meeting of the American Life and Ad- 

 vent Union was held at Springfield, Massachu- 

 setts, beginning August 1st. The eleventh an- 

 niversary of the Union was held August 6th. 

 Leonard C. Thorne, of New York, was chosen 

 president. The treasurer reported his receipts 

 for the year just ended to have been $4,216.- 

 87, and his expenses $4,484.31. A balance 

 was also due him, on the previous year's ac- 

 count, of $1,297.32. The sum of $2,299 was 

 pledged on an effort to raise $3,200, for the 

 purposes of the Union for the ensuing year, to 

 be devoted to the publication of its paper, 

 pamphlets, and books. 



AFGHANISTAN, a country in Central Asia, 

 bounded north by Toorkistan, east by British 

 India, south by Beloochistan, and west by 

 Persia. In an official correspondence between 

 the cabinets of St. Petersburg and London, 

 especially in the dispatches of Lord Granville, 

 dated October 17, 1872, and of Prince Gor- 

 tchakoff, dated January 31, 1873, England and 

 Kussia agreed upon the regulation of the north- 

 ern frontier of Afghanistan. According to 

 this new agreement, Afghanistan is in future 

 to embrace 1. Badakshan with the dependent 

 district, Wakhan, from Siripul in the east as 

 far as the confluence of the river Koktcha 

 with the Oxus (Amu-Darya), which constitutes 

 the northern frontier of this province in its 

 entire extent; 2. Afghan Toorkistan, which 



