PRESBYTERIANS. 



CC9 



sionaries, 10 native pastors supported by their 

 OOturregations, 108 evangelists, 48 theological 

 students, 48 organized congregations, 92 preach- 

 t at ions, and 8,800 communicants. The 

 \Viii i inn's Missionary Association supported about 

 2o woman missionaries, who labored among the 

 women in China, conducting schools for women 

 and girls, visiting from house to house, and at- 

 tending in hospitals. The Committee on the 

 Ton Cession made its final report, and was dis- 

 charged. The clause "Whatever respect some 

 may pay to other days of commemoration, yet 

 do these lack scriptural authority, and may not 

 be enforced as binding on the Christian con- 

 science," was retained, against a motion to strike 

 it out because it might DC interpreted as giving 

 an implied sanction to "other days of commem- 

 oration." A clause was ordered inserted in the 

 formulas for ordination and licensure recogniz- 

 ing the Articles of Faith as embodying the doc- 

 trine set forth in the Confession of Faith. 



X. Welsh Calvinistic Methodists. The 

 General Assembly of the Welsh Calvinistic 

 Methodist Church met at Machynlleth, Mont- 

 gomeryshire, June 7. The Rev. William James 

 presided as moderator. The report of the statis- 

 ticians was invested with unusual interest, be- 

 cause of the discussions that had been provoked 

 by the assertion of the Bishop of St. Asaph that 

 dissent, and particularly this denomination, was 

 declining in Wales. The statisticians found that 

 they were able to make a most satisfactory report. 

 The increase in contributions for the year had 

 been 35,000, against 15,000, the largest in- 

 crease returned in any year previously in 1872. 

 This was mostly in the additions (26,000) to the 

 collections for foreign missions : but apart from 

 this, there was an addition of nearly 9,000 to 

 the other collections. The total amount of the 

 collections was 266,718, showed an increase of 

 1,364 in membership, notwithstanding all the 

 emigration that had taken place. During twen- 

 ty-four years since statistics had first been col- 

 lected, there had been no falling off in member- 

 ship except in 1869, and the collections had fallen 

 off in only four years. A table was published 

 showing that the increase in the connection had 

 been continuous. 



XI. General Council of the Presbyterian 

 Alliance. The fifth General Council of the 

 Alliance of the Reformed Churches holding the 

 Presbvterian system met in Toronto, Ont.. Sept. 

 21. The Rev. W. Garden Blaikie, D. D., of 

 Edinburgh, presided. The Eastern section of 

 the Executive Committee reported concerning 

 the adoption of the plan for raising funds for 

 future meetings by annual contributions accord- 

 ing to representation in the Council ; concerning 

 visits paid to churches in Bohemia and Moravia, 

 Hanover, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, Rus- 

 sia, Italy, and Switzerland; concerning efforts to 

 remove obstacles raised by the Turkish Govern- 

 ment to the work of missionaries; concerning 

 the visit of a deputation to the International 

 Conference at Brussels; and concerning the 

 visit of Dr. Blaikie to the United States in 1889. 

 The receipts of the treasurer had been 2,706, 

 and he held a balance of 154. A report was 

 presented of the statistics of all the Presbyterian 

 Churches, of which about 90 distinct branches 

 were represented in the Alliance. Many of these 



are small, consisting in some cases of a single 

 presbytery, and they are scattered over conti- 

 nental Europe and in the mission fields. The 

 following table presents a condensed statement 

 of the different bodies: 



Total of licentiates 2,594 



' " theological students 4,1 69 



" " number of Sabbath schools 25,708 



" " teachers and officers 405.985 



" pupils in attendance 8,020,765 



Papers were read upon " The Protestant Ref- 

 ormation : In its Spiritual Character and its 

 Fruits on the Individual Life," by Prof. Thomas 

 Lindsay, D. D. ; " Its Influence in Communities 

 and Nations on their Moral and Religious Con- 

 dition," by Prof. H. Bavinck, D. D., of Hampden, 

 Holland ; " Upon the Intellectual State and 

 Progress of the Nations at the Time," by Prof. 

 M. Leitch, of Belfast, Ireland ; and " Upon its 

 Influence upon the Civic and Political Institu- 

 tions of the Nations of the Sixteenth Century," 

 by Prof. Henry M. Baird ; Upon the General 

 Subject of " Our Reformed, and Presbyterian 

 Churches: Their Characteristics and Mission," 

 by the Rev. D. E. Van Home, D. D.; "Their 

 Strength and Weakness," by Rev. Dr. Monro 

 Gibson ; " Their Unsolved Problems and Re- 

 sources," by the Rev. Evart Van Svke, D. D., 

 and the Rev. E. R. Eschbach, D. D. the reports 

 on foreign mission work included notices of the 

 Union of Presbyterian and Reformed Missions 

 into single ecclesiastical organizations in Japan, 

 Mookhden in north China, Korea, Syria, and 

 Brazil. In this department papers were read on 

 " Native Agents and their Training," " Native 

 Churches and Self -Support," " Relation of Na- 

 tive Churches to the Home Church," "Cultiva- 

 tion of a Missionary Spirit at Home,'* " A Cen- 

 tury of Missions," " The Gospel in the Dark 

 Continent," " Mission Work in the South Seas," 

 "Among the Hindoos," and "The Celestial Em- 

 pire." Papers under the head of "Training of 

 the Ministry" included those on "The Minister 

 as an Organizer," by the Rev. Ross Tavlor, D. D. ; 

 " Training in View of the Drifts of Theological 

 Thought in Apologetics and Criticism." by Prin- 

 cipal G. H. Hutton; and "Short Courses of 

 Study," by President W. H. Black. Under the 

 general topic of " Christianity in Relation to 

 Social Problems " were discussed : " The Wage 

 Question," "The Opium Question in India." 

 "The Recreation Question, and "The Drink 

 Question." A sitting was given to the discussion 

 of " Aspects of Romanism " in Europe, Great 

 Britain, Canada, North and South America, and 

 the Foreign Mission Field. A paper by the 

 Rev. James McCosh, D. D., LL.D., on "What 

 Philosophy can do for Religion," was read in 



