CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



CONGRESS. 



143 



inrch, although they had voluntarily withdrawn 

 .lemselves from it, by observing that that Church 

 vas national, enjoying its privileges by the will of 

 ic nation, of which Nonconformists were a voting 

 3art. The assembly, declaring that it was con- 

 vinced from the history of the past and observation 

 of the present Catholic world "that sacerdotalism 

 triumphant means national decay," in a resolution 

 bearing on the ritualistic movement, expressed its 

 sympathy with that section of the Church of Eng- 

 land "which is striving on the authority of Scrip- 

 ture and by the power of the Spirit to resist the in- 

 roads of the common enemy." Resolutions on the 

 education question affirmed the existence of an im- 

 perative necessity for the creation of undenomina- 

 tional colleges for the training of teachers, under 

 public management, and reiterated former resolu- 

 tions demanding public control of all denomina- 

 tional schools receiving assistance from the national 

 schequer or local rates, and the appointment of 

 11 teachers in such schools without reference to 

 lurch or creed. Another resolution expressed 

 itisfaction over the call of the Czar of Russia for 

 , conference of nations on disarmament, and urged 

 ipon her Majesty's Government to do its utmost to 

 lake the conference a success. A statement was 

 lade on behalf of the Church Aid Society that in 

 he past three or four years it had made grants of 

 rom 3,000 to 4,000 a year to increase the sti- 

 ends of ministers to a minimum of 90 a year, in- 

 luding the rental value of the manse, and in doing 

 his had exceeded its income. The Committee on 

 Church Extension reported that the aggregate 

 aount which the local unions and associations 

 yere seeking to raise for that object had increased 

 from 45,554 in May to 50.554, while the contri- 

 butions and subscriptions due through five years 

 "increased from 23,871 to 25,000. Appeals 

 or contributions to increase the Central fund had 

 let with only a small degree of success. A dele- 

 jate from Ireland represented that Congregational- 

 ism in that country was mainly confined to the 

 north, but was growing. There were five large 

 churches in Belfast, with a sixth to be opened soon, 

 and two missions. The Irish Congregational 

 Union was contemplating the assumption of the 

 fork of the Irish Evangelical Society of the Eng- 

 sh union, provided it was transferred free of 

 ebt. The Rev. James Gibson, of Port Elizabeth, 

 epresented that there were in South Africa 37 

 arincipal native Congregational churches abso- 

 itely self-supporting, with 37 branch churches, 113 

 lission stations, 10,569 members, and 68,000 ad- 

 herents ; and that the native contributions in 1897 

 ?ere 12.000. Subjects were considered, in papers 

 ead during the meetings and in discussions, relat- 

 ig to the "Public Ordinances of the Church," "The 

 3iritual Meaning of the Lord's Supper," ' Special 

 lethods of Christian Culture," " The Biblical In- 

 truction of the Children of our Congregations not 

 oing to Sunday School," the " Pleasant Sunday 

 Lfternoon," " Methods of Reaching the Working 

 Classes," and " The Place of the Old Testament 

 in Present-day Preaching." A meeting of the 

 Young People's Union was addressed on " The 

 Cultivation of a Healthier Denominational Senti- 

 ment among Young People from the Point of View 

 of the Christian Endeavor Movement." A meeting 

 was held in support of social settlements. 



London Missionary Society. The income of 

 the London Missionary Society had been 159,132, 

 or 1,750 larger than that of the previous year, but 

 the total expenditure having been 167.548, the 

 report showed a deficiency of 8,416. Two hundred 

 and sixty-one missionaries 192 men and 69 wom- 

 en were employed, with 924 ordained native 

 agents and 2,808 preachers; and 55,541 church 



members, 156,982 native adherents, 688 Sunday 

 schools with 35,031 pupils, and 1,167 day schools 

 with 52,715 pupils were returned. The contribu- 

 tions from the mission stations amounted to 52,- 

 71.">. The Rev. B. Wardlaw Thompson, one of the 

 secretaries of the society, and his colleagues, as a 

 deputation to visit the missionary stations in the 

 East, returned in April, 1898, and reported to the 

 Board of Directors concerning his observations of 

 the missions in New Guinea, the South Seas, Mada- 

 gascar, and South Africa. The relations of the 

 missions in Madagascar were delicate, owing to the 

 change of sovereignty of the country, and inter- 

 national and religious jealousies between the French 

 Roman Catholics and the English and native Prot- 

 estants. The disposition of the French Government 

 .as represented by Gen. Galliene was regarded as 

 favorable to the continuance of the mission work 

 without interference ; but other influences existed 

 which were hostile, subtle, and dangerous. The 

 attention of the deputation having been called by 

 Gen. Galliene to evidence which he claimed to 

 possess of lack of loyalty on the part of agents of 

 the society who hoped to see its influence used with 

 the British Government in favor of the ultimate 

 rescue of the island from French rule, the deputa- 

 tion, while not believing in the existence of any 

 such feeling, published a manifesto on the subject, 

 in French and Malagasy. This document men- 

 tioned the charges made, and continued : 



" We believe these charges to be false, trumped 

 up by interested parties for their own purposes. 

 We made bold to assure the general that these 

 charges were false, made up for the purpose of 

 bringing you into suspicion with the authorities. 

 Still, lest any of you have, through folly and igno- 

 rance, done anything to bring suspicion upon you, 

 we declare again what we have often made known, 

 that the London Missionary Society has no connec- 

 tion with the English Government. Its only ob- 

 ject is the conversion of men and women. We beg 

 you then to make known to everybody that there 

 is not the slightest hope of England's interfering 

 on your behalf, either now or in the future. Also, 

 let it be understood that the continuance of the 

 society's work here will largely depend on the 

 loyalty of its adherents. We rejoice that the Gov- 

 ernor General of Madagascar declares often, and in 

 all directions, that you have absolute liberty to 

 follow whatever religion you choose. We trust 

 you will quit yourselves like men, and prove by 

 your conduct that all real Protestants are loyal 

 and faithful subjects of France, the great nation 

 with which you are now united." 



The Colonial Missionary Society was represented 

 as doing three times the amount of work it had 

 attempted five years previously, while its income 

 had not risen in proportion, and the financial report 

 of the year showed a deficit of 500. Toward the 

 special'fund of 5,000 which the society had under- 

 taken to raise when it took over the charge of 

 native churches founded by the London Missionary 

 Society, 4.346 had been secured so far. 



CONGRESS. The second session of the Fifty- 

 fifth Congress began Monday, Dec. 6, 1897, and 

 the President sent'in the following message: 



To the Senate and House of Representatives : 

 It gives me pleasure to extend greeting to the 

 Fifty-fifth Congress, assembled in regular session at 

 the seat of Government, with many of whose Sena- 

 tors and Representatives I have been associated 

 in the legislative service. Their meeting occurs 

 under felicitous conditions, justifying sincere con- 

 gratulation and calling for our grateful acknowl- 

 edgment to a beneficent Providence which has so 

 signally blessed and prospered us as a nation. 



