BAPTISTS. 



51 



organization, and turn over its work to the 

 Publication Society and the Missionary Union. 

 The other societies concerned in the proposed 

 scheme also resolved to accept the functions 

 which its execution would impose upon them. 

 American Baptist Missionary Union. The annual 

 meeting of the American Baptist Missionary 

 Union was held at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., 

 May 24th. The Rev. George Dana Boardman, 

 D. D., presided. The receipts of the Union 

 for the year had heen $327,800, and its ex- 

 penditures $316,410. The condition of the 

 missions is exhibited in the following table: 



A newspaper statement had charged the 

 treasurer of the society with taking advan- 

 tage, in settlements with the missionaries, of 

 the differences in exchange in the valuation of 

 dollars and rupees at the expense of the mis- 

 sionaries and to the profit of the treasury. 

 This charge was answered by the chairman of 

 the committee of finance, who, after a special 

 examination of the subject and of the treas- 

 urer's accounts, reported that "for tweuty- 

 three years previous to 1878 the changing of 

 dollars into rupees favored the missionaries on 

 the field by the appreciation of the rupee, 

 while for three years afterward the Union 

 gained by the depreciation of the value of the 

 rupee. To remove all cause for dissatisfaction 

 by the missionaries in 1879, the Union now 

 changes its dollars into pounds sterling and 

 then into rupees, so that the missionaries now 

 receive the full amount of their salary of 

 dollars in rupees. All of the gain during five 

 years in the depreciation of the rupee is strict- 

 ly accounted for by the treasurer's report." 

 Resolutions were adopted expressing satisfac- 

 tion with the statement, and " unqualified con- 

 fidence " in the late treasurer. 



American Baptist Home Mission Society. The an- 

 nual meeting of the American Baptist Home 

 Mission Society was held May 25th. The Hon. 

 James L. Howard presided. The total receipts 

 of the society for the year had been $283,- 

 944 ; the permanent and trust funds held by it 

 amounted to $497,535 ; and an indebtedness 

 was returned of $49,967. Six hundred and 



seven missionaries had been employed, of whom 

 362 were laboring among American, 100 among 

 foreign, and 37 among other populations ; and 

 they had supplied 1,762 churches and out-sta- 

 tions. The fourteen schools among the colored 

 people and the Indians, and in Mexico, em- 

 ployed 112 teachers, and were attended by 2,713 

 students. Besides forty-four States and Ter- 

 ritories in the United States, the society had 

 prosecuted its work in British Columbia, Mani- 

 toba, and Mexico. Its work among Scandi- 

 navians was conducted in nine States and Ter- 

 ritories, among French in six States, and among 

 Germans in seventeen States and Territories ; 

 and missionaries had been appointed repre- 

 senting ten nationalities or people, viz., Ameri- 

 cans, Germans, Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, 

 French, Mexicans, Indians, negroes, and Chi- 

 nese. The Indian University, in the Indian 

 Territory, was in a flourishing condition, and 

 was attended by 42 young men and 53 young 

 women. 



The Woman's Baptist Home Mission Society 

 had received during the year $22,000 in cash 

 and $4,524 in goods, and had disbursed $22,- 

 348. It had employed 26 missionaries, 6 mis- 

 sionary teachers, and 10 Bible-women, who 

 were laboring among the Indians, the freed- 

 men, Scandinavians, Germans, and Mormons. 



American Baptist Publication Society. The anni- 

 versary of the American Baptist Publication 

 Society was held May 28th. The receipts of 

 the society for the year had been $399,673 in 

 the business department, and $122,246 in the 

 missionary department. Forty-five new pub- 

 lications had been issued, and 122,300 Bibles 

 had been distributed. 



Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern 

 Baptist Convention met at Waco, Texas, May 

 llth. The Rev. P. H. Mell was chosen presi- 

 dent. The principal business of the meeting 

 consisted in a review of the progress of the 

 missionary and benevolent work of the South- 

 ern Baptist churches. The income of the Board 

 of Missions for the year had been $56,805, 

 and the board had a balance of $6,100 in its 

 treasury. Reports were made of the condition 

 of the several missions, as follow : The Mexi- 

 can mission had 65 church-members, of whom 

 13 had been baptized during the year. Two 

 missionaries, with three assistants, besides na- 

 tive helpers, were employed at eight stations. 

 In Brazil, four missionaries, all foreign, were 

 employed at the stations of Santa Barbara and 

 Bahia, where were 50 church-members, and in 

 which five persons had been baptized during the 

 year. Three missions were sustained in China, 

 employing 34 missionaries, and with them were 

 connected 587 church-members. In Africa were 

 seven missionaries, at five stations, with 100 

 church-members and 194 pupils in schools. The 

 missions in Italy included ten stations, at which 

 were 14 missionaries and evangelists, and with 

 which were connected 220 members. Seven 

 missionaries had been sent out by the board 

 during the year. 



