134 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



lie-houses and places for the sale of liquors; 

 and that encouragement be given to move- 

 ments for the opening of places of refreshment 

 to be conducted on temperance principles, and 

 for the improvement of the conditions of life 

 among the poor, with a view of obviating their 

 liability to intemperance. A petition to Par- 

 liament in favor of the Sunday -closing of pub- 

 lic-houses was approved. Kesolutions were 

 also adopted condemning the traffic in opium, 

 A resolution was adopted approving the course 

 which Mr. W. E. Gladstone, M. P., had pur- 

 sued upon the Eastern question. A petition 

 was adopted against the "Burials Bill " of the 

 Government, which was under consideration 

 in Parliament. 



The 83d annual meeting of the London Mis- 

 sionary Society was held in London, May 10th. 

 The Earl of Northbrook presided. The ordi- 

 nary income of the society for the year had 

 been 63,664, against 62,563, the income of 

 the previous year. Special contributions of 

 5,398 had been received for the Central Afri- 

 can Mission, in addition to the 5,459 con- 

 tributed the previous year, making the whole 

 amount given for this purpose so tar 10,857. 

 The amount received from legacies had been 

 several thousand pounds less than usual, so 

 that the directors, instead of having a balance 

 on hand, were called upon to face a deficiency 

 of 3,848. The expenditures had been un- 

 usually heavy, amounting to a total of 117,- 

 445. Several of the special objects of the care 

 cf the society had, however, already been pro- 

 vided for by special contributions invested on 

 their behalf in previous years. An increase 

 in the interest felt in the work of the society 

 at home was reported, 35 divinity students 

 having offered their services during the year. 

 Four hundred adults had been baptized in 

 China. The Medical Mission had promoted 

 the establishment of hospitals at Hankow, in 

 China, and Travancore, in India, with dispen- 

 saries at most of the stations. Good results 

 had accrued from the work of the Woman's 

 Mission, in the teaching to the women of the 

 mission-fields domestic economy and habits of 

 industry, as well as reading and writing. 

 " During the last ten years," says the report, 

 " a great change has been in progress in the 

 position occupied by the English missionaries. 

 Before that time, in not a few cases, they had 

 charge of churches, English and native, which 

 could no longer fairly claim such aid from a 

 missionary society. In 1866 there were seven 

 English churches in our mission-field, supplied 

 by missionaries of the society, which now 

 are wholly independent of its care. There 

 were also 43 native churches, which were 

 then under the direct charge of English mis- 

 sionaries, which now are taught entirely by 

 native-pastors, or by English or other minis- 

 ters, also independent. The work once car- 

 ried on by the society's missionaries in these 

 50 cases still exists, is strong and vigorous, 

 and, indeed, may justly be regarded as having 



reached a higher stage of Christian life. But 

 that elevation and advance have left 50 Eng- 

 lish missionaries free to take other forms of 

 service, and specially the aggressive side of 

 missionary life. The Tahitian group of sta- 

 tions has three missionaries, where it had six ; 

 the Harvey Islands have two, instead of five ; 

 Samoa six, instead of ten ; the Loyalties three, 

 instead of five. No church has been given up, 

 no station has been abandoned. On the con- 

 trary, the out- stations are more numerous than 

 ever, and their character stands deservedly 

 high. Nor is this all. While this readjust- 

 ment has been going on year by year, new 

 ground has been occupied, and the old stations 

 in great cities have been strengthened." Con- 

 tinued prosperity had attended the operations 

 of the society's agents in Madagascar. Severa-' 

 model churches had been completed, and th 

 agencies for promoting education had been 

 greatly multiplied. The number of trained 

 evangelists and school-teachers was steadily 

 on the increase. The colleges and the normal 

 schools were in efficient operation. The sta- 

 tistics of the congregations showed about sixty 

 thousand professed members among a quarter 

 of a million of adherents and worshipers. 

 The mission in New Guinea had been reduced 

 by disease, caused by the unhealthy nature of 

 the coasts of the island. A resolution was 

 adopted, recommending its continued prosecu- 

 tion with energy. The opening of the new 

 mission in Central Africa, and the undertaking 

 of it in cooperation with the schemes of the 

 Presbyterian Churches and of the Church Mis- 

 sionary Society, were approved. 



The 41st anniversary of the Colonial Mis- 

 sionary Society was held in London, May 

 10th. Mr. S. S. Marling, M. P., presided. The 

 income of the society for the year had been 

 3,005, and its expenditures about 2,500. 

 Keports were made of the operations of the 

 agents of the society in Canada, the Australian 

 Colonies, New Zealand, and South Africa. 



The 58th annual meeting of the Home Mis- 

 sionary Society was held in London, May 

 8th. Mr. Samuel Morley, M. P., presided. 

 The total income of the society had been 

 4,127 13s. 5d., and the total expenditure 

 4,433 13s. 4d. The income was supplemented 

 by the total receipts of 20,614 by the associa- 

 tions which cooperated with the society. The 

 report stated that 3,500 Christian workers 

 were connected with the stations of the so- 

 ciety; 18,000 children were enrolled in its 

 Sunday-schools, and 2,500 young persons in 

 its Bible-classes. 



The 68th annual meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Board of Commissioners for Foreign 

 Missions was held at Providence, R. I., begin- 

 ning October 2d. The report of the Pruden- 

 tial Committee showed that the receipts of the 

 year had been : From ordinary donations, offer- 

 ings for the debt, and centennial offerings, 

 $341,216.44; from legacies, $92,763.38; from 

 other sources, $7,411.63: total income, $441,. 



