demeanor show clearly the refining influence around them. The great need of the institution now is scholarships for deserving and needy young men and women who desire to come but cannot meet the necessary expenses. I am confident that those who desire to help young men and women of this race to fit themselves for the duties of life and for wide usefulness can hardly do it more effectually than by providing one or more scholarships in Ferguson Academy.

I have mentioned the prejudice and opposition encountered in the first years of the mission. It was a great pleasure to be informed recently, by a leading white citizen, that this has now almost ceased among the better class. They respect and honor Mr. Williams for his character and work. Though I had visited the mission several times before, I gave

[July,

it an unusually thorough inspection at a recent visit. I went through dining room, kitchen, store-room, recitation rooms and all the dormitories. I found perfect neatness and order every where. Ferguson is not surpassed in this respect by any institution under the care of the Board. It is a special pleasure to write this. Few now question the ability of the colored people to acquire knowledge, and it is well known that many of them make excellent teachers. But their ability to make, and especially to teach others how to make neat, tasteful, orderly Christian homes is yet to be demonstrated. Doubtless those who can do this are exceptions but that such exceptions exist is encouraging. That they do exist will be seen by any one who visits Ferguson Academy and sees what Mr. and Mrs. Williams are doing there.

ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT OF THE BOARD TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT PORT

LAND.

THE ROLL.

The number on the Roll of the Board to whom remittances were sent upon the recommendation of the Presbyteries during the year from April 1, 1891, to April 1, 1892, was 682: that is, ministers, 287, widows of ministers, 362; orphan familiies 31; one woman "who has given herself to missionary work under the care of the Home or Foreign Board for a period of not less than five years," (see printed minutes of the General Assembly, 1888, page 33) and one widow of a Medical Missionary, (see printed Minutes 1889, page 32). The number of families provided for during the year at the Ministers' House at Perth Amboy, N. J., in lieu of receiving a remittance in money, was 18, making upon the Roll of the Board during the past year a total of 700 families, an increase of 41 over last year.

It should be borne in mind that there are more than 700 persons who share in these appropriations. These families are. often composed of aged couples; or the minister, laid aside from his active duties, may have a wife and children to support. There are also many families composed of a dependent widow with little children to be cared for.

The Presbyterial recommendations in their behalf came from 168 Presbyteries. The Presbytery of West Africa recommends three families. The Missionaries who have returned home from the foreign field, and who may need help in their sickness or old age, are, of course, recommended by the Presbyteries with which they are connected in this country.

Besides several withdrawals from the Roll, owing to a change in pecuniary circumstances or restored health which has rendered futher aid from the Board no longer necessary, fifty-eight names have been removed from our roll by deaththat is, forty-five ministers, twelve widows,

and one orphan. The death of the head of the family, however, does not always withdraw the family from the Roll of this Board. In many cases the helpless widow, or the orphan children are still to be provided for.

There have been one hundred and ten names added to the Roll during the year; that is, fifty-nine ministers, forty-eight widows, and three orphan families.

The Board have so often called the attention of the Assembly to the Ministers' House for the aged servants of the Church that, for general information upon the subject, they beg leave to refer to their Annual Reports-especially to the extended notice of The House which appeared in THE CHURCH AT HOME AND ABROAD, which has been reprinted in pamphlet form and will be sent to anyone wishing a copy.

During the past year the responsible duties of Superintendent have been discharged by Mrs. Clark with the same fidelity and efficiency that characterized the management of her predecessor. The Committee of the Board having the special care of The House have assured themselves by frequent visits that the honored guests greatly enjoy and appreciate its comforts. Their own observation is abundantly confirmed by the testimony of brethren who have also visited The House, with a view of personally examining its arangements and general management. Rev. Teunis S. Hamlin D. D., pastor of the Church of the Covenant, Washington City, and Chairman of the General Assembly's Standing Committee upon Ministerial Relief in 1889, made last month such a visit to the Home and (by his permission) the following extract is given from a personal letter written by him to the Secretary:

I went to Perth Amboy on Tuesday last, in the interest of my venerable and beloved friend, of whom I wrote to you. I had a most satisfactory interview with Mrs. Clark,

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who seems peculiarly adapted for her important and delicate position. I saw all the arrangements of the "House," which far exceeded my previous impression of their comfort. It seems to be admirably managed to secure the convenience and happiness of its honored guests.

One of these gratefully refers in a recent letter to her "many comforts and blessings" and adds:

I have no other home in the world, no other place where I could be cared for; so that it means a great deal to me in my feebleness, and it is my desire to show my appreciation and gratitude in every way I can.

This would be incomplete if I did not speak of Mrs. Clark's kind care and sympathy with me in my affliction, for which I cannot be too thankful. She is doing everything in her power to make us happy and comfortable, and I am every day learning to appreciate and love her more and more.

THE TREASURY.

The entire income of the Board during the past year, as will be seen from the Treasurer's statement, amounted to $161,714.43. This, of course, includes the interest from the Permanent Fund as well as the contributions from Churches, Sabbath-schools and individuals, and is the largest income the Board has ever received. But the following comparative table will show that this is due to our enlarged Permanent Fund-the contributions during the past year having fallen off $4,671 from those of the previous year.

COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS FOR CURRENT USE.

increase in the number of families on our roll-forty-one more than we reported to the Assembly in Detroit. The "Office" expenses have remained about the same, $105 more than last year.

The result of the operation of the year is a balance of $4,965.87,* which is $1, 132.09 more than that of last year. While the Board gratefully report the fact of this increased balance-after responding to the appeals from the Presbyteries on behalf of 700 families, sending in full the amount asked for in each case- -the attention of the Assembly and of the churches should be called to the falling off in contributions. The total of these, from churches, Sabbath-schools and individuals, is less than that which we have reported each year to the Assembly since 1886 when the preparations were begun for the Centennial year. During the Centennial year itself, although the interest of "Individual Donors "was mainly concentrated upon the Permanent Fund, the total of their contributions came to within four dollars of that received last year, while the "Collections" from churches and Sabbath schools amounted to $98,922. The very next year these Collections fell off to $93,178. was generally explained as a temporary reaction from the effort on behalf of the Centenary Fund, but the collections have remained very near that figure ever sincein 1891 a little above; in 1890 and the year just closed, a little below. It is there fore a question for thoughtful and prayerful consideration by those interested in our work, whether the falling off in the collections from churches and Sabbathschools the year after the Centennial, and which has continued ever since, can be any

This

*This amount, added to the balance with which we commenced the year, enables us to report to the Assembly a comfortable working balance of $24, 063.36. This will help to tide the Board over the summer months, when the contributions come in slowly while the demands upon our treasury still continue.

[July,

longer regarded as a temporary result of the effort on behalf of our Centenary Fund; but surely it is not the settled judgment of the church that $92,000-the average of collections for the past four years-is all that the Board can expect from this source for its sacred work.

The Assembly of 1885, in adopting the report of its Standing Committee upon Ministerial Relief, urged the "use of increased means to teach and persuade Christian people to bear this cause upon their minds and hearts." This the Board have done ever since, always bearing in mind the need of judicious economy. Independent of the items of expense for the Annual Reports and for The Church at Home and Abroad (which are ordered by the Assembly) the board have used circulars and other means of keeping our work before the churches at an average cost since 1885 of $744.22 last year it was $562.55. The Board will continue this distribution, recognizing the importance of its aid in keeping up the contributions even to the present figures, but it is doubtful, except there be urgent and continued efforts by Presbyteries and Sessions, whether these means alone will greatly increase the aggregate of the collections from the churches and Sabbath-schools beyond the $92,000, at which figure it has remained the last four years. Yet even when these collections are supplemented by the individual gifts sent directly to our Treasury (averaging the last four years $13,605.20) it must seem a disproportionately small part of the total of the churches' benefactions during the year to reach our treasury.

The Board respectfully call the attention of pastors and sessions to this subject, and beg them to devise, if possible, some agency in each congregation by which a fair proportion of its offerings may be secured for the worn out servants of the Church. To this cause God's people never fail to respond, gladly and generously,

1892.]

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The number of families upon our roll has steadily increased each year since 1886. It was then 509; the Presbyteries now recommend 700. In 1886 the total of contributions for their support was $101,631, or an average of $199 to each family. During the year just closed the total of contributions was $103,844-or an average of $148 to each family. The Permanent Endowment will surely not prove to be a blessing to the Church if its only use is to supplement the short-comings of God's people in their duty, year by year, to care for the worn out servants of the Church and their dependent families.

LEGACIES AND PERMANENT FUND.

During the past year $35,028. 23 were received by the Board in legacies, a detailed statement of which is given on page 38 of the report. From these legacies

nent Fund now amounts to $1,192,919.12, of which $916,139.79 are held by the Board and $276,779.33 by the trustees of the General Assembly in trust for the Board.

Among the amounts credited to the Permanent Fund during the past year will be noticed "Balance of Principal of the Centenary Fund, $10.20" sent through Rev. Dr. W. H. Roberts, the treasurer of the Committee in charge of the Centenary Offering. This Balance makes $590,830.27 as the total to the Centenary Offering transferred to the Board for investment. Of this sum as stated in our last report, $122, 000 have been placed at 6 per cent. interest, through the agency of the Committee in St. Paul, Minn., of which Mr. C. H. Bigelow is the Chairman, and of a like Committee at Wichita, Kansas, of of which Rev. John D. Hewitt, D. D., is Chairman.

SABBATH SCHOOL MISSIONARY MAP.

"To the poor the Gospel is preached." The quotation given above is the heading on our new statement of work accomplished during the year April 1st, 1891, to April 1st, 1892.

A map of the United States is given on the inside pages of this statement. This map has aroused great interest. It is a valuable object lesson. The number of Sabbath Schools organized by the missionaries of the Board during the year is indicated by red stars, and the total number of stars in each State is marked in black

figures.

For those who have not yet seen the map, we will state that of stars there are in Missouri, 129; Minnesota, 88; South Dakota, 70; Nebraska, 66; West Virginia,

66; Wisconsin, 56; Michigan, 66; Kansas, 53; Virginia, 34; Texas, 33; Oklahoma, 28; Kentucky, 28; Iowa, 36; North Carolina, 27; Indian Territory, 18; Florida, 18; Ohio, 31; Indiana, 21: California, 18; Oregon, 14; Washington, 12; Montana, 16; North Dakota, 9; South Carolina, 8; Georgia, 7; Arkansas, 7; Tennessee, 1; Pennsylvania, 1.

The states in which no Sabbath-schools have been organized, and, in consequence, not marked by any stars, are: Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada.

What is your church and Sabbath-school doing to send Sabbath-school missionaries. into them?

On this four hundredth anniversary of America, how much shall the Presbyterian Church give for Sabbath-school Missions?

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SHALL IT BE WON FOR CHRIST?

EDWARD A. PATRICK.

My Dear Friends:-While our Sabbath School missionaries are engaged in the campaign for Christ and the Church," I am wondering if you regard the people of Dakota as brothers not only in Christ, but in this great Republic of ours. If you do not, I beg of you to strive to think of us in that way. We are a part of the great nation assembled under the shadow of "the flag that makes us free."

I have hinted at two reasons why it is a blessed thing to send us the Gospel. We have an influence in the nation, our first vote for President will be cast next November. If we do not add to the influences which make this a Christian nation, we shall add to the opposite influences, and men are trying to get us to cast our influence in almost every direction; some for Christ and some against Him; some for the church and some against it; some for the public school and some against it. Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, Spiritualist and Atheist teachers are all working hard for their views, just as earnestly as those who preach and teach what we believe to be the truth.

But there is a deeper reason why we should spread the Gospel. "There is none other name-whereby ye must be saved." Shall we not see wherever man is found, the knowledge of that Name is spread? And especially, where men are struggling to support the Gospel, shall we not assist them? Some of our churches are self-supporting but most are not. A great many Sabbath-schools are, even in the country districts. But what these need is the brightening and inspiring influence of some one enthusiastic in the work of the Sabbath-school. Again, we have a very few districts unreached by the Gos

[July,

pel. Shall we not send a man to help them to reach after that blessing?

In closing, let me show you that even while we need your aid, we are desirous of helping those needier than we, to get the Gospel.

In a Sabbath-school connected with one of our churches, some one gave the children a small sum to invest. The result was made known last Sabbath, and nearly $30 was to be divided among the Home Board, the Foreign Board and the work among Freedmen. So you see we are not destitute of the missionary idea-so blessed in its effect on us, and in its results to others.

"NO USE FOR JESUS."

H. C. M'BURNEY.

Dear Friends:-During the last months we have been working in the vicinity of beautiful Santa Barbara, and are much surprised at what we find.

One day we visited a public school about two miles from Goleta. The teacher told us that but two or three of her forty pupils had probably, ever been in a Sabbath-school. We called on several families to learn the reason, and found it was mere indifference, they were near enough town to go every Sunday. When the first settlers came to the country, not so very many years ago, there were no religious services, and they got in the way of visiting or staying home and doing odd jobs on Sunday, and now they do not care to do any different, and have influenced most of the new comers to adopt their habits. So the churches and Sabbathschools generally, in this fair land, are poorly attended and supported.

About seven miles down the coast from here is a new settlement, named Summer-land, a colony of Spiritualists. We were one day