66 



BAPTISTS. 



letters of eminent Baptists of past generations. 

 The number of likenesses was 594, and of let- 

 ters 653. The library also contained 253 views 

 of Baptist colleges, many of which were no 

 longer in existence. A suggestion was made 

 to the " American Baptist Publication Society " 

 with reference to the republication of the " Ma- 

 terials toward Baptist History," published by 

 Morgan Edwards in the last century. It was 

 resolved to endeavor to commemorate the cen- 

 tennial anniversary of American Independence 

 by the erection and purchase of a building 

 to be especially devoted to the uses of the 

 society. 



The fourth annual meeting of the Woman's 

 Baptist Missionary Society was held in Bos- 

 ton, April 21st. The receipts of the society 

 were reported to have been, including the 

 balance from the previous year of $424.64, 

 $30,241.29; the expenditures had been $27,- 

 700.07. Of the balance, $2,541.22, left in the 

 treasury, $729.75 was to be invested as a 

 permanent fund, and $1,155.75 had been ap- 

 propriated for schools ; 187 churches, or aux- 

 iliaries, had been added during the year, mak- 

 ing 707 auxiliaries in cooperation with the 

 society in raising funds and supporting mis- 

 sionary laborers. In foreign fields, fifteen 

 missionaries and sixteen Bible women had 

 been employed, and seventeen schools sus- 

 tained. Of 980 pupils enrolled in these schools, 

 one-half were girls. 



The fourth annual meeting of the Woman's 

 Baptist Missionary Society of the West was 

 held in Chicago, 111., May 6th and 7th. The 

 receipts of the society for the year ending 

 March 31st were reported to have been $11,- 

 505.52, and its expenses $11,175.30. Of the 

 expenses, $9,576.38 were devoted to the out- 

 fit of missionaries, and to the support of mis- 

 sionary work in Burmah, Assam, India, and 

 China, and $1,598.92 to "home expenses." 

 Eegarding the " home field " of operations, re- 

 ports were made of labors performed in Ohio, 

 Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Wiscon- 

 sin, Minnesota, and Iowa. It was resolved to 

 endeavor to secure special funds toward the 

 erection of a suitable schoolhouse at Gowa- 

 hati ; also, to seek out seven young ladles for 

 the work of the coming year, three of whom 

 should be appointed to Assam, and three to 

 China. A resolution was adopted requesting 

 the American Baptist Educational Commission 

 to recommend the Baptist churches throughout 

 the country to take up a collection Sunday, 

 July 4, 1875, to form an educational fund for 

 the schools of the Baptist missionary societies 

 in foreign lands. 



The twenty-fifth annual meeting of the East- 

 ern German Baptist Conference was held at 

 Albany, N. Y., September 15th. Forty-two 

 churches, embracing more than 4,000 mem- 

 bers, were represented. The Rev. H. Trump 

 was appointed general missionary for the field 

 of the Conference, to seek out new openings 

 for labor. The Rev. H. Schneider was ap- 



pointed general agent of the publication and 

 colporteur work. 



The Western German Baptist Conference met 

 at Concordia, Missouri, October 6th. Fifty- 

 three churches reported 156 baptisms, 3,164 

 members. Six churches failed to report, 

 which in 1874 had reported 405 members. 

 Adding these as they reported then, the Con- 

 ference would have 59 churches, 156 baptisms, 

 and 3,569 members. The expenditures during 

 the year had been $3,553. The sum of $5,100 

 was granted for the support of missionaries 

 during the ensuing year. 



The American and Foreign Bible Society, at 

 its meeting October llth, determined, in view 

 of the obstacles which stood in the way, to 

 abandon the effort to unite with the American 

 Bible Union. It made provision for sending 

 out Bible readers and colporteurs to labor 

 among the colored people. 



The twenty-sixth annual meeting of the 

 American Bible Union was held October 13th. 

 The Rev. Thomas Armitage, D. D., who had 

 been president of the society for nineteen 

 years, resigned that office. The Rev. A. C. 

 Osborn, D. D., was elected president in his 

 stead. The report of the treasurer showed 

 that the total expenses of the Union for the 

 year had been $22,622.51, and that its present 

 liabilities were $40,927.13. The sum of $21,- 

 000 had been raised within a few aays toward 

 the payment of the debts. The assets of the 

 society were estimated at $170,000, but most 

 of the property was needed in business, and 

 could not be applied to the extinction of the 

 debt. The annual report stated that the union 

 of this society with the American and Foreign 

 Bible Society had been prevented during the 

 year by the veto by the Governor of the State 

 of New York of the bill passed by the Legisla- 

 ture to authorize it. The translation of the 

 Book of Isaiah by Dr. Conant had been finished, 

 and was ready for the printer. 



The ninth annual meeting of the Burmah 

 Baptist Missionary Convention was held at 

 Henthader, November 7, 1874. It was attended 

 by 14 missionaries, '16 woman missionaries, 29 

 ordained native preachers, 44 unordained na- 

 tive preachers, 16 delegates, and 272 persons 

 described as " other disciples." The sessions 

 of the convention lasted five days. Statistics 

 were received from the stations at Rangoon, 

 Maulmain, Tavoy, Barsein, Henthader, Thong- 

 zai, Toungoo, Shnayzyeen, and Prome, of 

 which the following are the totals: number 

 of members, 19,662; of churches, 396; of or- 

 dained preachers, 85 ; of unordained preachers, 

 283; of Sunday-schools, 164; of pupils in the 

 same, 5,964; amount of contributions, $64,- 

 132.15. 



The first Baptist Association of Garo Chris- 

 tian Churches was organized at a meeting held 

 in the Gowalpara Chapel, Assam, April 3d. 

 Eight churches responded to the call by letter, 

 and 43 delegates were enrolled. The Associa- 

 tion voted to support a preacher as its OWD 



