DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. 



DOMINION OF CANADA. 



IN wen- received from the mission in Ja- 

 maica, \vhciv with IS churches the Uiard em- 

 ployed IN missionaries; Milaspttr, India, where 

 4 mi.-sionarie.- were employed, and schools, an 

 orphanage, /cnami work and medical work were 

 sustained, and a hospital was in course of erec- 

 tion: and the I'nited States, when- 'J'J mission- 

 urie.- were eiihcr located in one of 15 towns or 

 doing evangelistic work: while other workers 

 were MiMaiued by appropriations from the board, 

 which passed through intermediate agencies. 

 Mr. A. Al. Atkinson presided at the forty-third 

 annual meeting of the Ueneral Christian Mis- 

 sionary Convention, which met Oct. 18. Kx- 

 Oluding the funds of the Hoards of Church Ex- 

 tension and of Negro Evangelization and Edu- 

 cation, the convention had received during the 

 year $41.801. It had employed 07 missionaries 

 ami agents, by whom 165 churches had been as- 

 sisted, (ill new places visited, and 27 churches 

 organi/ed. and who reported 1,006 conversions 

 on t heir fields of labor. The reports of the work 

 carried on by the several State organ i/ations in 

 co-operation with the General Convention were 

 not complete for the present year. In 1891 these 

 bodies had employed 338 missionaries, who had 

 held meetings in 1,706 places, visited 352 new 

 places, organized 172 churches and 320 Sunday 

 schools, and returned 12,221 baptisms, $136,609 

 raised for evangelization and for the support of 

 pa-tors, and $162,118 raised for local work. The 

 State organizations were represented as growing 

 in strength and efficiency. The Board of Church 

 Extension had received $21,760; its total re- 

 sources on hand, including loans, notes, pledges 

 coming due. etc., were $134,730. Since the in- 

 stitution of this fund, in 1888, the receipts had 

 shown an almost uniform increase each year of 

 about $3,000 over the previous year. Twenty- 

 eight loans, aggregating $11,900, had been 

 granted and paid during the year, and 52 loans, 

 aggregating $25,900, had been granted and were 

 yet to be paid. The board had received during 

 the year $6.888 in loans returned and $1,597 of 

 interest on loans; and from the beginning, $13,- 

 i'M of loans returned, and $3,779 of interest. 

 This showing was regarded as very favorable, and 

 as proving that the money loaned out actually 

 comes back to do the same work over again. 

 The Board of Negro Evangelization reported 

 that the Southern Christian Institute for the 

 Education of the Negro had about 100 students, 

 8 of whom were preparing for the ministry. The 

 institute possesses an estate of 800 acres in Mis- 

 sissippi. The meeting of the Foreign Christian 

 Missionary Society was held Oct. 19, Mr. C. L. 

 Loos presiding. The receipts for the year from 

 all sources had been $74,071, of which $3,750 

 had been derived from the sale of interest -bear- 

 ing securities, leaving the net income $70.:! - ,M. 

 The bequests had amounted to $1.751. The ex- 

 penditure- aggregated $75,981. Fifty-six mis- 

 sionaries and -is helpers were employed in China, 

 India. Japan, Turkey, the Scandinavian coun- 

 tries, and England. There were returned from 

 the several mission fields 252 members in Japan. 

 So in India. (179 in Turkey. (>.">:! in Denmark, 

 Norway, and Sweden, and 1,103 in 5 out of 8 

 stations in England, with 30 boys in the school 

 at Nankin, China. Independent work of an 

 evangelistic character had also been undertaken 



by disciples among now -hristian peoples be* 

 yond the seas; but as no account was made of ji 

 to the society at its meeting it doe- not appear 

 in the report. The report tothed, 

 vent ion of the Standing Committee on Christian 

 I'nion expressed gratification at the increa>ing 

 interest manifested in bringing about a more in- 

 timate union among all who profess and call 

 themselves Christians. The Christ ian Endeavor 

 movement, the Me A II Mission in France. tin- 

 Brotherhood of Christian I'nity, and the union 

 movements and u'cumenical me. tings taking 

 place among the different denominations of tin; 

 same family as the Metlmdi.-ts, Presbyterians, 

 and Baptists were mentioned as promoting or 

 illustrating this tendency. 



DOMINION OF CANADA. Parliamen- 

 tary. The annual session of Parliament opened 

 on Feb. 25 and closed on July 9, lasting one hun- 

 dred and thirty-six days, and being, as is believed, 

 the longest on Canadian record. In his opening 

 speech, after referring to divers matters of now 

 obsolete interest, the Governor-General called at- 

 tention to the fact that, during the recess, three 

 of his ministers had gone to Washington and 

 conferred with representatives of the Adminis- 

 tration of the United States on certain named 

 subjects, conclusions on which are still pending, 

 and went on to say : 



An amiable understanding was arrived at r. 

 ing the steps to be taken for the establishment or the 

 boundary of Alaska, and for reciprocity of services 

 in cases 'of wrecks and salvage. Arrangements win- 

 also reached for the appointment of an international 

 commission to rej>ort on the. regulations which may 

 be adopted bv the I'nited States and Canada fur tin- 

 prevention of destructive methods of fishing and the 

 pollution of streams, and for establishing uniformity 

 nt close seasons, and other means for the preservation 

 and increase of fish. A valuable and friendly inter- 

 change of views respecting other important matters 

 also took place. 



In accordance with the promise given at the close 

 of the lust session, a commission has been issued to in- 

 vestigate the working of the: Civil-service act, and 

 other matters connected with the civil service irciier- 

 ally. The report of this commission will be laid be- 

 fore you during the present session. 



It is desirable that the fishery regulations in Brit- 

 ish Columbia should be examined and re vised, so an to 

 adapt them better to the requirements of the fisheries 

 in that province. A commission has been issued with 

 that object. 



An Important measure respect inr the criminal law, 

 which was laid before you last session, has been rc- 

 viseil and improved, us a result of the expression of 

 views elicited by its presentation to Parliament, and 

 will be submitted to you. Your attention will also he 

 directed t<> measures Far the redistribution !' seats con- 

 sequent upon the census returns ; the establishment 

 of the boundaries of the territories; and the amalga- 

 mation <>t' the Departments of Marine and Fisheries. 

 Hills will also be presented to you for the amendment 

 of the Civil-service act. the acts n-lutiiiir t<> real prop- 

 erty in the territories, and of those respecting the fish- 

 eries. 



The sessional business of the House of Com- 

 mons began by the Speaker's informing the House 

 that, out of 215 members elected in the spring 

 of 1MH. the judges selected for the trial <>! 

 tion petitions, pursuant to the Dominion Contro- 

 verted Elections act, bad declared the seats of 81 

 to be void. Consequently writs had to l>c fa 

 for new elections in all these cases. He also in- 

 formed the House that, in the case of 35 other 



