192 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



unsettled ministers might confer. The ques- 

 tion of special missions was commended to the 

 careful consideration of these associations, with 

 a view of determining whether they should 

 take steps, within their several limits, for the 

 conducting of such missions by competent and 

 certified persons. A long resolution was adopt- 

 ed, condemning the Afghan war, expressing 

 the belief that the policy of which it formed a 

 part ought to be reversed, and urging the mem- 

 bers of the churches to employ their votes and 

 influence at the next general election to secure 

 the authoritative condemnation of this policy 

 by the various constituencies. " The Assem- 

 bly," the resolution continued, "does not in 

 view of the election counsel silence on the part 

 of the Nonconformists in relation to questions 

 touching upon religious equality ; but in the 

 presence of the great political difficulties of the 

 time it feels that this is a crisis in which even 

 these ought not to be allowed to prevent the 

 union of the Liberal party for the purpose of 

 putting an end to the costly and mischievous 

 regime which has proved to be so full of men- 

 ace to our constitutional liberty at home, and 

 to derogate from our good name and our legiti- 

 mate influence among other nations." Sub- 

 jects were discussed in papers and addresses 

 relating to collegiate education, business meth- 

 ods and church administration, spiritual life 

 and the consecration of money, and Congrega- 

 tionalism and free thought. 



The anniversary of the London Missionary 

 Society was held May 16th. Sir William Muir 

 presided. The financial report showed that the 

 total annual receipts of the Society for general 

 and special purposes had been 101, 100, which 

 the balance left from the last year increased to 

 117,813. The expenditures had been 123,- 

 058. There were 153 missionaries employed, 

 of whom 11 were women, with 300 native 

 pastors, evangelists, and assistants, besides 83 

 native pastors, 500 assistant pastors and evan- 

 gelists, and 3,400 volunteer preachers in Mada- 

 gascar. The missions in Madagascar have been 

 enlarged and strengthened by the addition since 

 1870 of nine country stations, " each provided 

 with its mission-house, its model church, and 

 school." The Central Girls' School, the Nor- 

 mal School, and the Theological College have 

 been erected at Antananarivo, and a normal 

 school at Fianarantsoa ; and the system of pri- 

 mary education has been revised and extend- 

 ed. The churches had been declared to be at 

 liberty to manage their own affairs without 

 any interference from secular or outside au- 

 thority. A new station had been opened in 

 China, and a new mission in the province of 

 Sze-chuen partly provided for. In South Af- 

 rica, the beginning of a mission at Lake Ngami 

 and the opening of the Moffat Institution were 

 mentioned. The mission to New Guinea had 

 at the time of making up the report four or- 

 dained English missionaries with forty Poly- 

 nesian missionaries, and had extended its use- 

 fulness along the southern coast of eastern 



New Guinea and to the islands in the neigh- 

 borhood. The mission to Central Africa had 

 been commenced near Lake Tanganyika, but 

 had met with vicissitudes, and Dr. Mullens, 

 the Secretary of the Society, was to be sent to 

 look after its interests. A woman's mission 

 had been established four years before, which 

 now numbered eleven missionaries. Dr. Mul- 

 lens was afterward sent to this mission, but he 

 died on the way. 



The Irish Congregational Union met in Dub- 

 lin, September 30th. The occasion was marked 

 by the celebration of the jubilee of the Union, 

 it having been founded in 1829, and, though 

 the smallest in numbers, being the second 

 oldest Union in the United Kingdom. The 

 principal business of the session related to 

 efforts to raise the Provident Fund to 5,000. 



The Congregational Union of Scotland met 

 at Dundee, April 22d. Thje reports showed 

 that a decrease had taken place in the general 

 contributions. The widows' and ministers' 

 provident funds were in good condition, but 

 the income of the Chapel-Building Society had 

 been only 41 for the year. A chapel-build- 

 ing fund of 10,000 was asked for, toward 

 which 3,000 had been subscribed, and propo- 

 sitions were made for obtaining the rest of the 

 sum by means of subscriptions of 100 each. 

 Thirteen students had attended the Theological 

 Hall. 



Congregationalism is represented in France 

 by the Union of Free Evangelical Churches, 

 whose basis of union is established on the 

 principle of the freedom of the churches from 

 the support and control of the state, their in- 

 dependence of each other in their own action, 

 and the individual profession of faith. The 

 sixteenth biennial meeting of the Synod was 

 held at Nfmes, beginning October 16th. The 

 opening sermon, by Pastor Hallard of Paris, 

 was devoted to a vindication of the principle 

 of independency, and to showing that freedom 

 from the patronage and interference of the 

 state was essential to the promotion of a real 

 accord of spirit between the churches, as well 

 as to their own internal Unity. Pastor George 

 Fisch was chosen President of the Synod. One 

 new church was admitted to the Union ; the 

 application of another was postponed on ac- 

 count of insecurity in its financial condition. 

 The question of giving up certain mission sta- 

 tions in the department of Sa6ne-et-Loire, in 

 which success had not been encouraging, was 

 considered, and was finally referred to the 

 Commission of Evangelization for decision. 

 A proposition to form a common fund for all 

 the churches of the Union, similar to the sus- 

 tentation funds of the Presbyterian churches, 

 excited much discussion. The Synod declined 

 to express any opinion as to whether the insti- 

 tution of such a fund would be agreeable to 

 the principles of the Union, but appointed a 

 committee to examine into the subject and 

 collect facts for the guidance of the next 

 Synod. 



