718 



REFORMED CHURCHES. 



cent example of voluntary sanitary service in 

 all history was displayed during the civil war, 

 when seven thousand societies engaged in the 

 work, and the Sanitary Commission dispensed 

 over $20,000,000, besides the contributions of 

 the individual societies. The improvements in 

 military sanitation developed in the American 

 war, principally by this volunteer organization 

 the means of speedy treatment, and of avert- 

 ing hospital infection, such as the field hospi- 

 tals, and hospital tents, cottage hospitals, etc., 

 the ambulance system, convalescent camps, 

 etc. were the basis of the whole system of 

 the Red-Cross service, which copied also the 

 intelligence bureaus and other features of the 

 work of the Sanitary Commission. 



The conferences at Geneva were attended 

 by the United States Minister to Switzerland, 

 but, pending the war of secession, the Amer- 

 ican Government was unwilling to join in the 

 agreement. The principles of the treaty were 

 practically observed in the American war, and 

 the magnificent services of the volunteer sani- 

 tary organizations were a cheering example to 

 the humane persons who were striving in this 

 cause in Europe. Since then the International 

 Red- Cross Association has several times ap- 

 pealed to the United States Government to 

 join in the compact, but the delicate questions 

 of maritime law involved in the treaty, and 

 other political considerations, have hitherto 

 deterred the Federal Government from taking 

 the step. In the autumn of 1881 a final effort 

 was made to gain the agreement of the United 

 States to the stipulations of the convention of 

 Geneva, and assurances w y ere given by Presi- 

 dent Arthur of his willingness to accede. The 

 President and the Senate subsequently ratified 

 the convention ; the treaty was signed March 

 16, 1882. Pending the action of the Govern- 

 ment a national society was formed and incor- 

 porated under the laws of the District of 

 Columbia, bearing the name of the American 

 Association of the Red Cross. Miss Clara 

 Barton was chosen president of the society. 

 The constitution of the association specifies as 

 its principal object 



To organize a system of national relief and apply 

 the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by war, 

 pestilence, famine, and other calamities. 



Another article provides that 



This association shall hold itself in readiness, in the 

 event of war or any calamity great enough to be con- 

 sidered national, to inaugurate such practical meas- 

 ures in mitigation of the suffering and for the pro- 

 tection and relief of sick and wounded as may be 

 consistent with the objects above indicated. 



REFORMED CHURCHES. I. REFORMED 

 CHORCII IN AMERICA. This Church is composed 

 of four particular synods, viz. the Particular 

 Synods of New York, Albany, Chicago, and 

 New Brunswick with thirty-three classes, 

 which reported to the General Synod in June, 

 1882, statistics of which the following is a 

 summary : Number of churches, 509 ; of minis- 

 ters, 545; of families, 43,611; of communi 



cants, 80,167; of baptized non-communicant?, 

 29,669 ; number of Sunday-schools, 687, with 

 84,511 scholars ; number of baptisms during 

 the year, 4,051 of infants and 859 of adults. 

 Amount of contributions for religious and 

 benevolent purposes, $200,248; for congrega- 

 tional purposes, $902,368. 



The several boards having the care of the 

 benevolent enterprises of the Church made re- 

 ports to the General Synod in June, of which 

 the principal items are as follow : 



Board of Education. Total receipts, $8,670 ; 

 net indebtedness, $5,625, against $7,093 in 

 1881 ; number of students aided during the 

 year, 63. 



Board of Publication. Receipts from busi- 

 ness, $16,299; profits, $530; assets, $11,769. 

 Number of new publications (including official 

 papers and documents), 11. 



Widows' and Disabled Ministers' 1 Fund. 

 Total amount of the "Widows' Fund, April 30, 

 1882, $55,391 ; amount of income from all 

 sources, $3,557; cash on hand, $5,599. Amount 

 of the Disabled Ministers' Fund, $49,614; 

 amount of receipts during the year, $4,598; 

 cash on hand. $3,915. 



Board of Domestic Missions. Total receipts, 

 $29,030; expenditures, $26,086. Sixty-four 

 missionaries had been employed in 78 missions, 

 of which 37 were in the West and 41 in the 

 East, with, in all, 4,077 families and 5,979 

 members in communion. Connected with the 

 missions were 89 Sunday-schools, having an 

 average attendance of 8,247 persons. Eleven 

 churches had become self-supporting during 

 the year. The receipts for the Church-Build- 

 ing Fund had been $9,186; and the expendi- 

 tures $11,841. 



The receipts of the Board of^ Foreign Mis- 

 sions had been $58,154. The missions in In- 

 dia, China, and Japan comprised 9 stations, 

 101 out-stations, 16 missionaries, 24 assistant 

 missionaries, 13 native ministers, 39 catechists 

 or preachers, 37 churches with 2,625 communi- 

 cants, 5 academies, 90 day-schools, with 2.210 

 scholars, and 14 theological students. The 

 contributions of the native Christians during 

 the year had amounted to $3,233. The synod 

 decided to ask the churches for $72,000 for 

 this work during the ensuing year. 



The receipts of the Woman" 1 s Board of For- 

 eign Missions were $14,662. 



The General Synod of the Reformed Church 

 in America met in Schenectady, N. Y., June 

 7th. The Rev. Edward P. Ingersoll, D. D., of 

 Brooklyn, N. Y., was elected president. A 

 resolution was adopted expressing surprise, re- 

 gret, and solicitude, at the recent legislation 

 of Congress on the subject of immigration 

 from China; and the hope that the Govern- 

 ment might be induced soon to reconsider its 

 action, " and to adopt such measures as will 

 be likely to promote good feeling and friendly 

 intercourse between China and our own coun- 

 try, and which will at least not hinder the work 

 of Christian evangelization in that distant 



