METHODISTS. 



441 



The author's method of measuring cloud altitudes 

 differs from other methods in that he uses the sun 

 as a reference point. 



In seeking an explanation of the aurora borealis, 

 Gustav Wendt observes that oxygen is a paramag- 

 netic element, and assumes polarity by the presence 

 of the earth as a permanent magnet. Hence near 

 the magnetic pole, the magnetic attraction occa- 

 sions the descent of paramagnetic matter, especially 

 t of oxygen or condensed oxygen, and also of dust of 

 all kinds, including occasionally dust of meteoric 

 iron, etc. The northern lights may therefore be re- 

 garded as an electrical phenomenon arising when 

 oxygen and other paramagnetic matter are continu- 

 ously drawn down from the higher regions of the 

 atmosphere with the effect of setting up electric 

 currents. If, as a large series of accurate analyses 

 indicates, the air of the mountains and moors of 

 the Scottish highlands generally contains 21 per 

 cent, of oxygen while in large towns, especially in 

 fogs, the oxygen, content sinks to 20.8 percent., and 

 in deep mines to 20.2 per cent., the fact may be ex- 

 plained by the circumstance that, besides the general 

 diffusion, the magnetic attraction is brought into 

 play. Every large mountain must possess the 

 mountain magnetism in a larger or smaller degree. 

 The agreeable sensation felt in lofty yet protected 

 regions is usually owing to the presence of con- 

 densed oxygen drawn downward in consequence of 

 the " mountain magnetism." 



A sandstorm from the Sahara, which occurred at 

 the Canary Islands about the middle of February, 

 appears to have been felt over a wide area. On 

 Feb. 15, when, in latitude 22.5 north, longitude 

 17.25 west, the steamer " Roslyn Castle" passed 

 through the storm, large quantities of fine sand 

 fell upon the deck and adhered to the sails and rig- 

 ging. The steamer entered the dust cloud between 

 live and ten miles off Cape Blanco, and continued 

 iu it for nearly two days. It extended many miles 

 out to sea, and was so dense that objects on deck 

 could not be clearly distinguished, anil officers and 

 men suffered great discomfort in their eyes. The 

 vessel was in considerable danger passing through 

 the Canaries. On Feb. 15, at Funchal, the sun had 

 the appearance of the moon, and what seemed a 

 fog of unusual and unprecedented character hung 

 over the island. The dust penetrated everywhere. 

 Although a gale was blowing at Madeira, there was 

 no wind when passing through the dust. A sample 

 of the dust was analyzed by Dr. Leonard Dobson, 

 who publishes the results of his examination in the 

 "Chemical News'" of March 18, 1898. 



The directors of the high- and the low-level obser- 

 vatories at Ben Nevis, in announcing that they 

 would have to be closed for want of funds, in Oc- 

 tober, 1898, declared that by the establishment of 

 those observatories, and the unique observations 

 made at them, a great experiment had been carried 

 out with signal success, and that in a large sense 

 the objects aimed at had been attained. A long 

 series of hourly observations had been obtained by 

 night and by day without a break over a period of 

 fifteen years, including eye and other observations 

 made outside in the severe climate of Ben Nevis. 

 These formed a unique series of observations, noth- 

 ing like them having been as yet made at any other 

 high-level observatory in the world. Funds were 

 fortunately supplied a few days after the announce- 

 ment referred to was made, and the necessity of 

 closing the observatories has been avoided. 



METHODISTS. I. Methodist Episcopal 

 Church. The following is a summary of the sta- 

 tistics of this Church as given in the "Methodist 

 Yearbook " for 1899. In a few of the conferences 

 meeting near the end of 1898 the statistical reports 

 had not been completed at the time the " Year- 



book" went to press. For these the figures are 

 taken from the reports for 1897. There will there- 

 fore be some slight differences between the totals 

 in this table and those which will appear in the 

 book of "Minutes of the Annual Conferences." 

 which was to appear later and include all their 

 later returns : Whole number of annual conferences, 

 147; which are classified as conferences, 124; mis- 

 sion conferences (including the newly organized 

 Congo and South Japan mission conferences), 11, 

 and missions, 12; number of ministers in full con- 

 nection and on trial (including supernumeraries and 

 superannuates), 17,500; of local preachers, 14,610 ; 

 of lay members (full members and probationers), 

 2.886,189; of Sunday schools, 31.666. with 349,026 

 officers and teachers and 2,676,297 pupils; of 

 churches. 26,657, valued at $113,781,905 ; of parson- 

 ages, 10,604, having a probable value of $17,832,- 

 092. The increase of members and probationers 

 during the year is estimated at 33,000. 



The receipts of the Board of Education for the 

 year covered by its report for 1898 were $93,308. 

 The receipts from returned loans were $15,261. a 

 larger sum than in any previous year. The board 

 had aided with its funds 1,825 students of 27 differ- 

 ent nationalities. Of these, 1,129 were preparing 

 for the ministry or for missionary work, and 279 of 

 them were women. The whole number of students 

 aided from the beginning of the board's work in 

 1873 to July, 1898. was 8,909. The Sunday-school 

 Children's fund, instituted in 1866, has become .1 

 very important feature in the work of the Church. 

 The collections for it, taken annually on the second 

 Sunday in June, reached $84,000 on the second year 

 after its institution, and the amount has since been 

 largely increased. The educational institutions of 

 the Church include 26 theological institutions, 53 

 colleges and universities, 63 classical seminaries, 8 

 institutions exclusively for women, 99 foreign mis- 

 sion schools, and 4 missionary institutes and Bible 

 training schools; making a total, after deducting 23 

 schools duplicated, of 230 schools, or 3 more than in 

 1897. These institutions have grounds and build- 

 ings valued at $17,132,501, endowments aggregating 

 $12,299,601, of which $10,149.375 are productive; 

 are in debt $1,924.815, and return 3,143 professors 

 and 46,708 students. 



The third International Convention of the Ep- 

 worth League was held in Toronto, Ontario, July 

 15 to 18, and was attended by an estimated num- 

 ber of 20,000 persons, 15,000 of whom were regis- 

 tered. The discussions held during the four days 

 were participated in by about 236 readers and 

 speakers. Resolutions were adopted upholding 

 temperance and Sabbath observance; declaring it 

 a Christian duty to participate in all matters that 

 concern the national, State, and municipal govern- 

 ment ; and expressing a desire for the establishment 

 of arbitration in the settlement of international 

 questions and perpetual peace between the United 

 States and Great Britain. 



The General Committee of Church Extension met 

 in Boston, Mass., Nov. 3. The receipts of the year 

 had been $173,720 for the general fund and $i88,- 

 653 for the Loan fund. While the receipts to the 

 general fund had decreased $3,419, the joint ac- 

 counts of both funds showed a net increase of $14,- 

 011. The total sum of $172,337 had been author- 

 ized to be given out, of which the board had paid 

 $80.656 and promised $72.222. while the balance 

 would be carried forward into the new year. The 

 plan of procuring new churches by special gifts of 

 $250 had invited contributors to select this special 

 work. During the year 18 churches had- been add- 

 ed to the number previously reported as secured 

 in this way, making in all 623, of an average cost, 

 when dedicated, of more than $2,000 each. Many of 





