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ing districts of the West shall be brought under Immanuel's rule and prepared for the higher and endless service of the world to come. And it is not only the van-guard of the Church, but it is also a nursing mother to the households of faith it establishes, the pastor's most efficient helper, the friend of the children, the educator of the youth, and the solace of old age.

LITERATURE.

The literature of the Board supplies, as far as possible, a great and urgent need. We cannot exaggerate the value of books and periodicals, which inculcate and support the truth as against the most danger

ous errors.

"Much is to be feared from the skepticism of the age. Conspicuous intellects, great though darkened, are arrayed against evangelical religion. Atheism denies the existence of God; Pantheism denies his personality; Rationalism denies the authority of his Word; Humanitarianism betrays Christ with a kiss, and Indifferentism repudiates all human responsibility. Only perpetual vigilance can conserve the simple, true, soul-saving gospel of Christ, the only hope of a lost world.

"This Board of our Church, through its consecrated missionaries and scriptural literature, seeks to resist and counteract the rationalistic and infidel tendencies of our times, and to give the crown of universal dominion to Him who is God over all, blessed forever more.

"Each depository of this Board in the great centres of population in all parts of our land, not thrust into a corner, but looking out in the highways of human

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life, accessible to the hastening throng, may be the source of a corrective and lifegiving influence which may be as abiding as the race, and every missionary who carries this literature into irreligious or Christian homes may be the instrument of leading many into a knowledge of the truth and confirming the faith of those who believe. It is the judgment of your Committee that the Board should continue to strengthen this department of its work, seeking and securing, as far as possible, the contributions to its literature of the strongest intellects of the land and the world, and advancing this part of its mission with the utmost energy, and a persistence that shall never yield.

COMMENDATION.

"In conclusion, for the energy and faithfulness of the officers and employees of the Board, and for the great and encouraging results attained during the year, it is fitting that we should express deepest gratitude to God, and gather from it an inspiration for further service. Living in one of the most energetic periods of human history, great religious and social problems crowding the closing year of this Nineteenth century, the sixth day of the world's progress, beyond which not far away may lie the Sabbath of righteousness and peace, it becomes us to do whatsoever our hands find to do, in the fear of God, in love to Christ and souls, without delay and with our might.

"Your Committee recommends the adoption by the General Assembly of the following resolution:

"We earnestly commend this Board to the sympathies and prayers of all our

1892.]

MISSIONARIES.

The entire number of Missionaries at work during the whole or a portion of last year was 145. Of these, 72 were Permanent, of whom 58 are still in commission; and 73 were Theological Students who labored during their summer vacation.

ORGANIZATIONS AND REORGANIZATIONS.

The Missionaries organized 961 new schools, in addition to which 123 were organized under a standing offer of the Board to furnish free supplies of hymn books, lesson helps, papers and Bibles to any person establishing a Presbyterian Sabbathschool, making a total of 1,084 organiza tions. The Missionaries re-organized 311 schools. Into these schools were gathered 49,000 teachers and scholars.

MISSIONARY WORK.

In the performance of their work, the Missionaries visited 68,777 families and 3,454 Sabbath-schools; delivered 7,338 addresses; and traveled 377,782 miles.

GRANTS.

The number of pages of tracts and periodicals distributed by our Missionaries was 2,601,629; the number directly granted by the Sabbath-school and Missionary Committee, was 14,197,356; total, 16,798,985. In addition to these grants, the Department distributed 89,024 volumes of Christian literature, of which

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5,339 were Bibles. Missionaries gave away, other than Bibles, 63,355, and sold 5,055.

Of this number, the

The number of volumes directly donated by the Sabbath-school and Missionary Committee was 15,279.

The number of Sabbath-schools aided by these grants was 1,787. The number of grants made to churches and individuals was 584.

Every working day in the year the Board gave away 279 volumes, and 55,996 pages of tracts and religious papers.

CLOTHING

FOR DESTITUTE CHILDREN DURING THE WINTER OF 1891-92. Many of our Missionaries made such representation of the needs of hundreds of children who, because of the lack of clothing, were unable to attend either day or Sabbath-school, that an appeal was issued to Sabbath-schools and the various benevolent societies of Presbyterian churches in behalf of these destitute little. ones. The response was prompt and generous. Boxes and barrels of clothing

were forwarded to the Missionaries to the value of over $8,000. No fewer than six thousand children and youth were thus enabled to attend the Sabbath-schools.

PERMANENCY OF THE SCHOOLS.

Each year a census is taken of schools that were organized during the preceding year. Reports have been received during the year just closed of the schools that were directly organized by our Missionaries between April 1, 1890, and April 1, 1891, from which the following facts are gathered: Of the 1,209 schools organized, 742 are alive and flourishing; 332 have succumbed to circumstances; 135 have

ACTION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

The Chairman of the Standing Committee to which the General Assembly in Portland referred the report of the Board of Ministerial Relief, was the Rev. Thomas H. Robinson, D. D., of Allegheny. The report of the Committee, unanimously adopted by the Assembly, was made at the close of the afternoon of Monday, May 23rd, and we give from it the following

extracts:

An examination of the Annual Report gives abundant reason for gratefulness to God for the measure of success that has attended the work of the Board for the last ecclesiastical year. The year has evidently been one of diligent and faithful service. on the part of those to whom the church has committed this department of her benevolent activities.

The Committee call the attention of the Assembly to the following statements drawn from the history of the Board during the past year. Presbyterial recommendations for aid were received from 168 Presbyteries. The number on the roll of the Board to whom remittances were sent during the year ending April 1, 1892, was 682. To these must be added 18 families provided for during the year at the Ministers' House at Perth Amboy, N. J., in lieu of receiving a remittance in money, making a total of 700 families upon the roll of the Board during the past year, an increase of 41 over last year.

The number of families upon the Roll of the Board has steadily increased since the year 1886, being now nearly 200 larger than at that date. The number of persons who have shared in the appropriations made by the Board to the 700 families aided may be estimated at not less than 2,500.

During the year, one hundred and ten new names were added to the Roll; that is, fiftynine ministers, forty-eight widows and three orphan families. During the same time,

fifty-eight were removed from the Roll by death, forty-five ministers, twelve widows and one orphan. A few others who no longer needed the help of the Board have withdrawn their application for aid.

The apparently large increase in the number of applications for aid since 1886 is due in large measure to the wise action of the Assembly of 1889, which entitled every honorably retired minister over 70 years of age, who is in need and has served the church as pastor, stated supply, or missionary, for a period of not less than 30 years, to draw from the Board an Annual sum for his support. There are now upon the Roll of the Board 68 venerable men who are receiving from $250 to $300 for their support in their helpless old age. The entire sum appropriated to these aged servants of God and his Church, during the past year was $18,300, only an average of $269 to each family. The patriarch in this company is in his 92nd year; twenty eight are over 80; the average age is over 76, and the average number of years spent in the ministry is nearly 48 years. The Church should deem it a great privilege to brighten with her gifts the last days of these servants of Christ.

The income of the Board from all sources during the past year was $161,714.43 and is the largest income the Board has ever received. Of this amount $92,026.47, came in contributions from churches and Sabbathschools, and $11,817 65 from individuals, making a total from the church of $103,844.12 The remainder, $57,870.31 was from the income of the Permanent Fund, interest on Bank deposits and miscellaneous receipts. It is a matter of sincere regret to report that the enlarged income of the year is wholly due to an increase in the Permanent Fund. The contributions from the Churches have fallen off $2,092.80 and from individuals $2,578.89, a total of $4,671.69.

While it may be deemed a matter of congratulation that the result of the operations of

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the year is a balance of $4,965.87, which with the amount left in the treasury at the close of last year gives a good working balance to carry the Board through the summer months, we call attention to the fact that needs to be emphasized and remembered, that the average appropriation to each family aided by the Board from the contributions of the Church alone has fallen from $199 in 1886 to $148 in 1891, a decrease of $51 per family. But for the supplemental aid from the income of the Permanent Fund, the beneficiaries of the Church would have been in straits. The benevolence of the church is not keeping pace with enlarging demands nor with her augmenting ability to give.

We remind the Assembly of the following facts: First, that whilst the membership and the wealth of the church have greatly increased during the past four years, the contribution of the churches to this cause during the past year is but $26 above the average for the four years. With all her increasing power of numbers and of wealth, the beneficence of the church stands four years in arrear of the times.

Secondly, we note the fact, upon which comment is surely unnecessary, that more than one-half of our churches are reported as having utterly failed to contribute anything to this noble beneficence. The contributing churches number 3,226; the non-contributing 3,552.

The total amount drawn out by the Presbyteries from the treasury of the Board, exceeds the contributions from the churches by the large sum of $44,725.43. This sum indicates the amount of relief from present duty and privilege the church of to-day is receiving annually from the gifts of generous men and women in the past through their endowment of a permanent fund. Our Board of Ministerial Relief might justly and unfortunately be called a Board of Church Relief. It is one of the results of past generosities that the income of the Permanent Fund serves to relieve the church of to-day from both obligation and privilege. This evil should be corrected as promptly as possible. The Permanent Fund will prove, as similar funds have done in the past, a curse to the church so far as it checks

[August.

the generosity of the people of God. Each generation needs the burdens God puts upon it. It should take care of its own. The Endowment Fund of this Board was not intended to encourage Christian people of any succeeding age to cast from their minds and hearts the divine burden of loving and caring for those servants of the church who have worn thomselves out for her welfare. The church needs these claimants on her love and help far more than they need her.

Past Assemblies have urged the use of special means to teach and persuade Christian people to bear this cause upon their minds and hearts. The people still need to see more clearly and to feel more deeply their duty in this matter. Your Committee would call the attention of Pastors and especially, the large body of our intelligent Ruling Elders to the efficient work they may do both in the instruction of the people and in securing their offerings for these servants of God, to whom nothing now remains but to pray and wait.

Our Presbyteries need the gentle reminder that this Board works under strictly defined limitations, imposed by the Assembly. It cannot care for all the poor in the church. It exists to relieve disabled ministers and the widows and orphans of deceased ministers. Its beneficent aid is not general but particular. In making their recommendations for aid, the Presbyteries should remember the fair and usual limitations that are given to the meaning of the terms that define the Applicants for the aid of the church.

Your Committee recommends the adoption of the following resolutions:

That the General Assembly commends anew to the whole Church the impressive claims of this Board and calls upon every pastor and stated supply and church session to see to it that the cause represented by this Board be fully and faithfully presented to the people and that their offerings for it be earnestly sought.

That, in harmony with the recommendation of past Assemblies, this Assembly earnestly recommends that the gifts from the churches and Sabbath-schools and from individuals be raised to a sum not less than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.