CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



1T5 



during the early years of new churches in grow- 

 ing districts, 75,000; (e) for a pastors' retir- 

 ing fund, 50,000; (f) for the extinction of the 

 debt remaining on the Memorial Hall, 50,000; 

 (g) for the colleges, schools, and settlements, and 

 for other objects which in the judgment of the 

 special committee may appear to be desirable 

 to the interests of the denomination, 50,000. 

 Provision was made for the admission as asso- 

 ciate members of the union of such Congrega- 

 tional churches as for geographical causes, by 

 reason of distance, etc., are unable to be affiliated 

 with any local union. Resolutions were adopted 

 opposing the maintenance of a sectarian univer- 

 sity for Ireland, whether for Roman Catholics, 

 Presbyterians, or any other religious denomina- 

 tion; denouncing the attempted publication of 

 newspapers on Sunday " as a breach of the un- 

 written national compact which secures to our 

 toilers one day's rest in seven, and as calculated 

 to militate to a disastrous degree against the 

 social, moral, and spiritual interests of the peo- 

 ple"; expressing satisfaction at the attitude of 

 the Government toward the peace propositions 

 of the Czar, and urging it to do all in its power 

 to secure the achievement of practical results, 

 especially in promoting a system of international 

 arbitration, from the conference convened by his 

 Majesty; and declaring it the duty of all Chris- 

 tian citizens to endeavor to secure some honor- 

 able provision for the aged poor. Meetings were 

 held in behalf of the young people and of foreign 

 missions, colonial missions, the Sunday-school 

 Union, etc. 



The Congregational Total Abstinence Associa- 

 tion held its twenty-fifth anniversary in connec- 

 tion with the meeting of the union, when it was 

 shown that out of 2,900 Congregational pastors 

 2,444 were known to be abstainers. A statement 

 of the need of increased contributions was made 

 in behalf of the Church Aid Society, the object 

 of which was to bring up the stipends of aided 

 pastors to 90. 



The autumnal meeting of the union was opened 

 at Bristol, Oct. 17. The chairman, the Rev. 

 Arnold Thomas, delivered an address on The 

 Value of Religion. An account was given by 

 the Rev. W. Pierce of the visit of himself and 

 the Rev. G. Cousins, of the London Missionary 

 Society, to the churches in British Guiana, which 

 included every church and every mission station. 

 He had come to the deliberate conclusion that the 

 position of the churches in the colony was a dis- 

 tinctly hopeful one. The Sunday congregations 

 numbered 10,000 persons, while the church mem- 

 bership was 5,300, with about as many pupils 

 in the Sunday schools. Though very poor in 

 consequence of the depression of the sugar in- 

 dustry, they raised about 3,000 annually. They 

 constituted the only voluntary denomination in 

 the colony. The Rev. William Dower, of South 

 Africa, presented the case of the Congregational- 

 ists among the Boers, some of whose churches 

 were closed in consequence of the war and many 

 members were fugitives. The Congregational 

 Union of South Africa, sitting at Port Elizabeth, 

 was concerned with doing something to pro- 

 vide for them. The churches numbered 72, with 

 141 out stationsj English, Dutch, and native. 

 Seventeen of the native churches were entirely 

 self-supporting, and 36 were helped by the others. 

 The principle of the churches was equality for 

 every man, black and white. A statement in 

 behalf of the Church Aid Society showed that 

 the grants to county unions in 1898 had amounted 

 to 4,183, in aid of 377 churches and 158 mis- 

 sions, and in support of 223 pastors and 61 evan- 



gelists. The grants voted for 1899 amounted to 

 about 4,200, by means of which it was hoped 

 to raise the minimum stipend for aided ministers 

 to from 90 to 100, except in Wales. The 



f-ants exceeded the estimated income by nearly 

 600. A meeting was held for the organization 

 of a Congregational historical society, when a 

 provisional committee was appointed to report 

 at the meeting of the union to be held in May, 

 1900. Resolutions were passed urging the study 

 of the reports, particularly the minority report, 

 of the Royal Commission on Licensing, with spe- 

 cial reference to the details relating to hinder- 

 ing children from entering public houses or being 

 served with alcoholic liquors, and protesting 

 against the tithe rent charges act. An account 

 was given by the Rev. Dr. Bruce of the meeting 

 of the International Congregational Council at 

 Boston. Papers were read on Congregationalism 

 in the Nineteenth Century, by the Rev. H. E. 

 Lewis; The Misuse of the Lord's Day, by the Rev. 

 W. S. Houghton; The Degradation of Sport, by 

 the Rev. J. Hirst Hallowell; The Place of Au- 

 thority in Religious Faith, by the Rev. Prof. 

 Adeney; The Place of the Free Churches in the 

 National Life, by the Rev. J. Morgan Gibson; 

 The Nonconformist Conscience, by the Rev. T. 

 E. Daviess; and The Dangers which Menace our 

 Faith from a Loud, Clamorous, and Ubiquitous 

 Priestism. Meetings were held in behalf of the 

 twentieth century fund, the Colonial Missionary 

 Society, the young people, and the children, with 

 a people's meeting, a women's meeting, and a 

 conference on ministerial removals. Besides the 

 usual greetings from the local free churches, an 

 address of welcome was offered to the union by 

 the Bishop of Bristol, the dean, the archdeacon, 

 and the rural dean. 



Irish Congregational Union. The seventi- 

 eth annual assembly of the Irish Congregational 

 Union was held in Dublin in May. The Rev. 

 James Wylie, of Belfast, presided, and spoke 

 of the encouraging outlook of Congregationalism 

 in Ireland. The report of the mission showed 

 that it was carried on in 16 central churches, at 

 65 out stations, by 14 ministers, 4 evangelists, 3 

 lay preachers, 90 Sunday-school teachers, and 

 other workers. With a membership of 2,050, the 

 union had raised in the past few years more 

 than 8,000 for church building and providing 

 accommodation for church worshipers. The con- 

 tributions of the churches and missions averaged 

 2 10s. per member. 



International Congregational Council. 

 The International Congregational Council is an 

 extension to a world-wide scale of the idea of 

 voluntary fellowship, by which the Congrega- 

 tional churches are connected with one another. 

 Beginning with the local associations, these 

 churches have gradually enlarged their affilia- 

 tions to form district, county, and State associa- 

 tions ; national bodies, as exemplified in the Amer- 

 ican National Congregational Council and the 

 Congregational Union of England and Wales; 

 and now the International Congregational Coun- 

 cil. These bodies meet for consultation, discus- 

 sion, and advice, and do not pretend to exercise 

 any authority. The idea of the International 

 Council is said to have originated with the Aus- 

 tralian Congregationalists, and was carried into 

 effect by the Congregational Union of England 

 and Wales, at whose suggestion the first world's 

 meeting was held in London in 1891, with the 

 Rev. R. W. Dale, D. D., as president. The second 

 meeting was held in Boston, Mass., Sept. 20 to 

 28, 1899, being preceded by an informal reception 

 given to the delegates on the afternoon of the 



