526 



METHODISTS. 



These returns show an increase of 12,768 

 members and 28,964 probationers. Of the 11,- 

 205 traveling preachers reported, 1,158 were 

 on trial, 8,223 in full connection, 701 super- 

 numerary (without appointment), and 1,123 

 superannuated. The number of local preach- 

 ers is given as 12,491 ; number of children bap- 

 tized during the year, 55,968; of adults bap- 

 tized, 79,193 ; number of Sunday-schools, 19,- 

 346| ; of officers and teachers in the same, 

 204,964; of Sunday-school scholars, 1,426,- 

 .946; number of churches, 15,174|; probable 

 value of the same, $70,886,671; number of 

 parsonages, 5,180^ ; probable value of the 

 same, $9,419,510. The following is a state- 

 ment of the amount of " conference collec- 

 tions," or contributions of the churches for 

 general schemes of bsnevolence: For confer- 

 ence claimants, $133,816.58 ; for the Missionary 

 Society (from churches $349,425.48, from Sun- 

 day-schools $162,321.07), $512,157.27; for the 

 Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, $62,- 

 356.08; for church extension, $58,709~.84; for 

 the Tract Society, $15,672.21 : for the Sun- 

 day-School Union, 16,050.95; for the Freed- 

 men's Aid Society, $33,903.12; for education, 

 $25,860.78; for the American Bible Society, 

 $12,149.09. 



The eleventh anniversary of the Board of 

 Church Extension of the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church was held at Wilmington, Del., Novem- 

 ber 23d, Bishop Simpson presiding. The con- 

 solidated report of the corresponding secretary 

 and treasurer showed that the receipts of the 

 board for the ten months of the year 1876, 

 ending October 81st, had been: Balance from 

 the previous year, $4,016.64; receipts, on gen- 

 eral account, $58,392.51 ; on loan-fund ac- 

 count, $27,107.13 : total receipts, $89,516.28. 

 The disbursements had been : on general ac- 

 count, $57,558.60 ; on loan-fund account, $15,- 

 750, leaving a balance in the treasury of $16,- 

 207.08. 



The anniversary of the Freedmen's Aid So- 

 ciety of the Methodist Episcopal Church was 

 held at Pittsburg, Pa., December 10th and 

 llth. The financial statement for the thirteen 

 months ending July 1, 1876, showed that the 

 total receipts of the Society during that period 

 had been $58,204.75, and the disbursements had 

 been $58,031.54. The amount of indebtedness 

 against the Society was $18,000. The total dis- 

 bursements during nine years had been $582,- 

 006.90. Sixty teachers had been supported 

 in the field during the year, and more than 

 3,000 pupils had been taught in the schools, 

 a majority of whom were preparing to preach 

 or to teach. It was estimated that 40,000 

 children had been taught during the year by 

 persons who had been instructed in the schools 

 of the Society. The Society had aided in the 

 establishment and support of the following in- 

 stitutions: Central Tennessee College, Nash- 

 ville, Tenn.; Shaw University, Holly Springs, 

 Miss. ; Claflin University and Baker Institute, 

 Orangeburg, S. C. ; Clark University and The- 

 ological Seminary, Atlanta, Ga. ; New Orleans 

 University and Thomson Biblical Institute, 

 New Orleans, La. ; Wiley University, Marshall, 

 Tex.; Haven Normal School, Waynesboro, 

 Ga. ; Rust Biblical and Normal Institute, Hunts- 

 ville, Ala. ; La Teche Seminary, Baldwin, La. ; 

 Bennett Seminary, Greensboro, N. C. ; Cook- 

 man Institute, Jacksonville, Fla. ; Centenary 

 Biblical Institute, Baltimore, Md. ; Orphans' 

 Home, Baldwin, La. It had also aided in the 

 support of many common schools. Its school- 

 property in the South was estimated to be worth 

 more than $200,000, and was considered to 

 constitute a permanent investment for its im- 

 portant work. All of its principal schools had 

 been chartered, and furnished with sufficient 

 grounds and suitable buildings. 



The annual meeting of the General Mission- 

 ary Committee of the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church was held in New York City, beginning 

 November 15th. The treasurer reported that 

 the total receipts of the Society from Novem- 

 ber 1, 1875, to October 31, 1876, had been 

 $594,188.38, or $68,297.51 less than the re- 

 ceipts for the previous year. The total liabili- 

 ties of the Society on the 1st day of November, 

 1876, were $262,355.56, showing an increase of 

 $76,792.72 in indebtedness during the year. 



