nearly 1,000, with at least 25,000 members. The agents of the society were stationed in the missions among the Burmese, the Karens, the Eurasians, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Teloogoos, and the Shans, and reported 20 missionaries, 33 schools, 32 Bible-women, 1,530 scholars, and 85 conversions in the year. The 6th anniversary of the Woman's Baptist Missionary Society of the West was held at Dayton, Ohio, April 11th and 12th. Mrs. Robert Harris, of Chicago, presided. The treasurer reported that the receipts of the society for the year had been $13,352.05, and the expenditures $12,455.93. The Executive Board reported that the society employed 8 woman-missionaries and several Bible-women, and had the care of several schools. The work was restricted by the limited amount of resources. The annual meeting of the American Baptist Home Mission Society was held at Providence, R. I., May 23d. The Hon. Robert O. Fuller, of Boston, presided. The receipts into the treasury of the society from all sources, not including temporary loans, for the year ending March 31st, had been $189,824, and the expenditures, not including payments of temporary loans, but including the loans of the churchedifice fund, had been $262,503.24. The receipts were $31,557.82 less, and the expenditures and church-edifice loans were $59,620 greater, than those for the preceding year. The balance against the society was $40,452, which was entirely for borrowed money. The increase of expenditures was accounted for by the fact that the sum of $43,124 of liabilities, which had not matured at the time of making the previous report, had been paid on contracts for the completion of the school-building at Nashville, Tenn., and on notes given for the original purchase of the property for the same; an amount exceeding by $2,671 the present indebtedness of the society for borrowed money. A gift of $20,000, made after the report was prepared, reduced the debt to $20,452. Two hundred and thirty-three missionaries had been employed during the year, under whom 60 churches had been formed, 1,581 persons baptized, and 19,238 scholars gathered into the Sunday-schools. The subject of an increase of direct missionary work among the colored people had been under the consideration of the executive board. The development of better signs of the cooperation in this work of the white brethren at the South was noticed with "profound satisfaction." Seven freedmen's schools were taught under the patronage of the society, which were all in successful operation, under the care of 27 teachers, with an aggregate of 860 scholars. Twelve missionaries were employed among the Indian tribes, four of whom were white. In the church-edifice department, the total amount of loans outstanding was $234,328, and the amount of interest due was $23,037. The total amount of property, funds, and claims held by this department was $274,140. A report recommending the continuance of the missionary work among the Chinese in the United States was adopted. An amendment to the charter of the society granted by the Legislature of the State of New York, for the purpose of enabling it to receive endowment funds and hold real estate for the maintenance of schools and colleges, and the education of freedmen and Indians, was accepted. The 53d annual meeting of the American Baptist Publication Society was held at Providence, R. I., May 25th. Mr. J. L. Howard presided. The receipts in the benevolent department of the society from all sources had been $55,135; the receipts in the business department had been $333,831; and the total receipts of both departments had been $388,966. A system of life-annuities had been established, by which the society could receive at once the funds which its patrons intended to bequeath it, paying to them a given rate of interest, mutually agreed upon, for the use of the capital sum during the lives of the donors. Twenty-one new publications had been issued during the year, of which 20,400 copies had been printed. Of former publications, there had been printed 107,460 copies of books, and 181,750 copies of tracts. The total issues of the society for the year were equal to 329,116,580 pages 18mo. The total number of issues since the organization of the society had been 76,848,887 copies of books, tracts, and periodicals, containing 4,308,360,336 pages. The total number of publications on the catalogue, after a very extensive revision, was, on the 1st of March, 1877, 1,113 volumes. The present valuation of the real estate of the society was $247,759. The 24th anniversary of the American Baptist Historical Society was held in Philadelphia, Pa., June 4th. The finances were reported as in a good state, with a balance of several hundred dollars in the treasury. The annual meeting of the American Baptist Educational Commission was held in Providence, R. I., May 23d, Rev. Alvah Heney, D. D., presiding. The report stated that "the commission had suspended its work during the past year, on account of the Centennial movement for the endowment of seats of learning." A Woman's Baptist Home Mission Society was organized in Chicago on the 1st of February, with Mrs. J. N. Crouse as president, to cooperate with the American Baptist Home Mission Society, and yet be distinct from it. A meeting in behalf of this society was held at Providence, R. I., May 24th, in connection with the anniversaries of the other Baptist societies, at which it was recognized as one of the general societies of the denomination, and the formation of societies auxiliary to it was recommended. The third National Baptist Sunday-school Convention, under the auspices of the American Baptist Publication Society, met in Boston, Mass., May 17th. Delegates, consisting of persons actively engaged in Sunday-school work, were present from 23 States of the Union, the Dominion of Canada, and Burmah. The Rev. Warren Randolph, D. D., of Indiana, was chosen president. The sessions of the convention continued through three days, and were devoted mainly to the reading of papers and discussion of subjects connected with Sunday-school work. The 28th anniversary of the American Bible Union was held in New York City, November 14th. The Rev. Thomas Armitage, D. D., presided. The treasurer reported that his receipts for the year had been $16,299, and his disbursements $16,213. The indebtedness of the Union, which amounted to about $50,000, had been reduced by the amount of $1,800. More than 31,000 Bibles had been distributed in various parts of the world. The Southern Baptist Convention met at New Orleans, La., May 10th. The Rev. James P. Boyce, D. D., was elected president. The report on Foreign Missions showed that the receipts of the treasurer for the year had been $32,276, against $45,646 received in the previous year. Reports were received from the missions in Africa, China, and Italy. The African mission embraced stations at Abbeokuta, Lagos, and Ozbomosho, with 2 missionaries, 1 native preacher, and 4 native assistants. A brick chapel had been completed at Lagos, and the church numbered 58 members. A chapel had been begun at Abbeokuta. Mission stations were established in China at Tung-Chow, Shanghai, and Canton, with 8 missionaries, 4 native ministers, and 14 native assistants and Bible-women. Several works had been issued from the Mission press at Shanghai. In Italy, stations at Rome, Torre Pellice, Milan, Modena, and Carpi, the island of Sardinia, Bari, Naples, and Venice, were supplied by 1 American and 8 Italian missionaries. The mission at Rome, founded by the Rev. Mr. Van Meter, had been transferred by the American Baptist Publication Society to the Southern Convention. The treasurer of the Home Mission Board reported that its receipts had been $16,816, and its expenditures $15,805. A reduction had been made in the expenses of the board and of its work. The work of this board was conducted among the destitute churches, the freedmen, and the Indians. Endeavors, not as yet attended with much success, had been made to establish schools in connection with the Indian missions. The Creeks had proposed, in consideration of the instruction of 50 boys and 50 girls annually, to give 160 acres of land for the establishment of a school, and $6,000 annually to defray the expenses of tuition and board. The board had desired to appoint evangelists to labor among the freedmen, but had been prevented by want of means from doing more than instruct the missionaries to give special attention to their spiritual wants, as they should have opportunity. On the subject of the missions in Africa, resolutions were adopted: 1. That the Foreign Mission Board be instructed to increase the number of missionaries in Africa as soon as practicable. 2. That measures be taken to interest in this work the colored churches of this country. 3. That young colored ministers be preferred for this work, all other things being equal. The Consolidated American Baptist Missionary Convention represents the colored Baptists in the United States, who are estimated to number 600,000 members. The 37th annual meeting of the society was held at Richmond, Va., October 11th. The Rev. Amos Johnson, of Macon City, Mo., was elected president of the convention. Delegates were present from 20 States of the Union. Reports were made and adopted on missions, temperance, colportage, and the state of the country. The Convention, having adopted the policy of bringing its work to the notice and securing the confidence of the Southern people, among whom is its largest field of operations, determined upon the removal of its Executive Board from New York to Washington City, or to Richmond, Va., as soon as suitable charter provisions could be obtained. II. FREE-WILL BAPTISTS.-The following is a summary of the statistics of the Free-Will Baptist Church, as they are given in the FreeWill Baptist Register for 1878: Number of yearly meetings, etc., 40; total number of quarterly meetings, 165; number of licensed preachers, 114. The Free-Will Baptist General Conference met in its 23d session, at Fairport, N. Y., October 2d. The Rev. O. B. Cheney, President of Bates College, was chosen moderator. The Bengal and Orissa (India) yearly meeting, which had been organized two years before, was admitted to the Conference. Reports were received from delegates who had been appointed to attend the conferences of affiliated Free Baptist bodies, and of the Church of God, and the American Christian Conference, at Louisville, Ky. The delegate to the latter body reported that, on all essential points, the Free-Will Baptists and the Christian body were agreed; but that the minor points in which the two bodies disagreed were held by each so tenaciously that no union could now be effected. The measure adopted by the previous General Conference (held in 1874), for permitting persons who had not been immersed to be received into full membership in Free Baptist churches, was repealed. The effect of this action is understood to be, not to prohibit the admission of such persons, but to withdraw the sanction of the whole Church from the practice, and leave the subject to be decided by each church upon its own responsibility, whenever cases may arise calling for action. The following resolution was passed: Whereas, We learn of various associations of Baptists, in different parts of the South, holding substantially our views of doctrine, and embodying in their practice our views of Church polity; and, whereas, many of these brethren are not only in harmony with us in faith and practice, but are known distinctly by name as Free Baptists; therefore, Resolved, That we take this occasion to extend to these various associations the fraternal greetings of the General Conference of the Free- Will Baptists, and to extend a most cordial invitation to any and all of them to take a place among us as members of the denominational household. Resolutions were adopted on the subject of temperance, affirming it to be the duty of all, and especially of Christian ministers, to practice temperance, discourage the use of alcohol, and seek its extermination; supporting the principle of prohibition; discountenancing the support of political candidates who may use intoxicating liquors; disapproving the use of tobacco, and the ordination of young men who habitually indulge in it; and disapproving the use of fermented wine at Communion. A number of decisions were made upon questions of Church polity, the most important of which were, that it is improper for ministers to baptize persons who do not intend to join some evangelical Church; that a church should not refuse to grant letters to members in good standing when properly requested to do so; that the hand of fellowship should not be withdrawn from members in good standing without "church labor," or notification that such action is contemplated; that but three ways are recognized for the termination of church membership, viz.: by death, exclusion, or dismission by letter or vote of the church; that persons holding letters of dismission, and retaining them unused, should report to the church granting the letter at least once in six months, and a failure to do so for two years should work a forfeiture of membership; and that unordained ministers ought not to administer the ordinances of the Lord's Supper and Baptism. Among the resolutions on doctrine were: Respecting the import of holiness: We believe that holiness, sanctification, and consecration to God, imply freedom, through grace, from the voluntary violation of God's law, but not the perfection of the faculties and judgment. ferent churches: We believe the Bible commands Respecting the extent of pastoral service over difthe ministry to go into all the world, and, in preaching the gospel to every creature, perform the work of a pastor for just as many churches as circumstances and ability will permit. Respecting the design of Baptism: We believe that Baptism is designed to represent: 1. The burial and resurrection of Christ. 2. The remission of sin, and the resurrection of the soul to newness of resurrection of Christ. life. 3. The final resurrection, secured by the We believe it to be the duty of all Christians, as such, to partake of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We also affirm, that our pastors and churches can, and should, withhold the elements of the Eucharist from any and all persons who are known to be unworthy. The Conference resolved to celebrate the Centennial of the organization of the denomination in 1880, by an effort to raise the sum of $500,000 for the several departments of Church work, as missions, education, the payment of church debts, etc. The next session of the General Conference will be held, in view of this occasion, at the nearest point practicable to New Durham, N. H., where the first church was organized in June, 1780. The anniversaries of the benevolent societies of the denomination were held in connection with the meeting of the Conference, and much of the action of that body was based upon the consideration of their situation and needs as presented in their reports. The gross receipts of the Home Missionary Society for the year had been $10,713. The society was out of debt, and had a small balance in the treasury. The receipts of the Foreign Missionary Society had been $10,939. The statistics of the principal missions of the society are included in those of the Bengal and Orissa yearly meeting. The Woman's Missionary Society had been organized a little more than three years. It had contributed freely to both the home and foreign mission-work. The receipts of the Education Society had been $1,446. The number of students in all the theological schools of the denomination was 79, and the number graduated during the year was 10. The total receipts of the publishing establishment had been $115,717, and its present net assets were $64,300. The 45th annual Conference of the Free Baptist Church of New Brunswick met at Penobsquis, October 6th. The Rev. G. T. Hartley presided as moderator. The report of the corresponding secretary showed that 341 members had been added to the Church during the year. Reports were received from 74 Sunday-schools, returning 352 teachers and 3,126 pupils. The Foreign Missionary Society reported that there were needed, to pay all of its liabilities to January 1, 1878, $864. The Home Missionary Society had $66.40 in the treasury. Very little money had been received during the year, and very little had been expended. The Nova Scotia Conference of Free Baptists represents about 3,300 members. It is engaged in the work of both home and foreign missions. A missionary in India has heretofore been partly, and will hereafter be wholly, supported by it. III. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS.-The SeventhDay Baptist General Conference met for its 63d annual session at New Salem, W. Va., September 19th. The Sabbath-school Executive Board stated that they had received returns from 50 out of 74 Sabbathschools to which they had sent blanks, reporting a total of 737 officers and teachers, 4,177 scholars, and $1,099.03 raised for the expenses of the schools and for benevolent purposes. The duty of preparing and publishing lessons for the year had been confided to the executive board of the Sabbath Tract Society. The trustees of the Memorial Fund reported that the total amount of notes, cash, and other assets held by the board was $45,562, besides which it held the receipts of different institutions for notes and cash paid directly to them, but to be counted as parts of the Memorial Fund, to the amount of $14,452, making the whole value of the fund $60,015. The attention of the Conference was called to the case of Mr. Daniel C. Waldo, a member of the Seventh-Day Baptist church of Cussewago, Crawford County, Pa., and of a man in his employ named Albert C. Wood, who had been fined, and were liable to imprisonment under the State law of 1794, for working on Sunday; with reference to which a resolution was passed, declaring "that we regard such fining and imprisonment as a species of persecution for conscience' sake, flagrantly inconsistent with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, and also with the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States, passed March 5, 1789, which provides that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. That we hereby express our sympathy for Brother Waldo and his associate, as persons suffering for righteousness' sake, and that provision be made, here and now, for the preparation of a petition to the General Assembly of Pennsylvania in favor of the entire repeal of the Sunday Law of 1794, as a law in direct conflict with the rights of conscience and the exercise of religious liberty." The minority of a committee who had been appointed by a previous General Conference to prepare an exposé of the doctrines and principles of the denomination, presented a report covering 16 points of doctrine, which was ordered printed in the minutes,, to be acted upon at the next meeting of the Conference. The Committee on the State of Religion reported that the total gain of the churches during the year, above the losses, had been 259; 13 churches had enjoyed revivals. A church among the Danish settlers in Dakota has been added to the body. The 36th annual meeting of the Seventh-Day Baptist Missionary Society was held at New Salem, W. Va., September 20th. Resolutions were adopted advising that aid be given to weak churches struggling for existence in preference to opening new fields; and that the sixth-day evening before the first Sabbath in each month be set aside for a season of prayer for the mission cause; suggesting that every member of the churches and societies set apart at least five cents a week for the cause; and recommending the general adoption of the plan of systematic giving. The 22d annual meeting of the Seventh-Day Baptist Education Society was held at New Salem, W. Va., September 21st. The treasurer reported that his receipts from all sources had been $1,852, and his expenditures the same. The 34th annual meeting of the American Sabbath Tract Society was held at New Salem, W. Va., September 23d. The society resolved to discontinue the system of sending out lecturers to propagate the doctrines of the denomination, on account of its expense, and to replace the lecturers by evangelists. A scriptural commentary, designed to be a critical exposition of all the passages of Scripture relating to the Sabbath, as well as of all those supposed to relate to it, which is in course of preparation by the Rev. James Bailey, was recommended as a work likely to be of great value in the promotion of the Sabbath cause. IV. TINKERS, DUNKARDS, OR GERMAN BAPTISTS. This denomination has no distinctive name which is acknowledged by its adherents, but in their own intercourse and religious meetings they call themselves Brethren. The Brethren believe in trine immersion and feetwashing, are opposed to a paid ministry, and have peculiar views regarding dress and conformity to the world. The first attempt to make an enumeration of the Brethren was made by Howard Miller in 1877. The result of the census, so far as the returns have been completed and compiled, shows them to number about 60,000 members. They are most numerous in Pennsylvania, where they have 69 churches and 14,861 members. They are also numerous in Ohio. The General Council of the Tunkers was held at New Enterprise, Pa., May 22d. D. P. Sayler was moderator of the Council, and remarked, on taking the chair, that it had always been the custom of the Brethren to meet annually in Council to decide disputes among them, as was the manner of the apostles. A query was presented from Southern Missouri, whether evangelists or traveling ministers ought not to be restrained unless they conformed to the order of the Brethren in the matter of dress and of non-conformity to the world, to which the answer "Yes" " was unanimously returned. Another question discussed was, whether the standing or the rolling coatcollar conformed to the old order of the brotherhood. Several precedents were cited, all in favor of the standing collar, and the decision of the Council was given accordingly. The keeping of musical instruments in the houses of the brethren, which was considered at a previous meeting of the Council, again received attention. It was decided to be against the principles of the brotherhood. On the subject of the sisters wearing fashionable hats at the Communion, it was decided without discussion that the sisters must "not wear hats at all, at Communion or at any other time; and that elders and overseers who encourage or allow them to do so should be dealt with as transgressors. The Brethren were advised to abstain from voting, for fear that it would lead to a surrender of the non-resistant principles of the brotherhood; for the same reason, a brother was advised not to accept the office of a school-director in Pennsylvania, because he might have to collect the school-tax, and even imprison a citizen for non-payment of the tax. It was decided that hymn-books should be plainly bound, and without gilt. The Council being requested to decide upon one of the two methods of feet-washing-the "single mode," in which one person washes and another wipes the feet, or the "double mode," in which the same person both washes and wipes-passed an order giving full liberty to any church to adopt the double as well as the single mode. Baptism in a church-pool instead of a stream was declared valid. It was declared that applicants for membership should not be admitted unless they wore the dress of the Brethren, even though they might wear a plainer one. The connection of Brethren with lyceums or debating societies, in which theatrical performances or exercises for mere amusement were given, was prohibited. Petitions were presented for changes in the Constitution of the Council, asking that it be composed of one delegate for every four hundred members, and of the standing committee, also, for quadrennial instead of annual meetings. A committee was appointed to consider the matter, who reported recommending that no changes be made. By a unanimous vote, the subject was postponed till the next year. V. BAPTISTS IN GREAT BRITAIN.-The Baptist Hand-Book for 1877 gives the following summary of the statistics of the Baptist churchVOL. XVII.-5 A Besides the churches, a column is given showing the number of chapels, as follows: in England, 2,731; in Wales, 601; in Scotland, 102; in Ireland, 42: total, 3,476. The total number of lay members given is 3,524; number of chapel seats, 935,015. A comparative table of the statistics for ten years shows an increase of 260 churches, 834 chapels, 44,273 members, and 186,415 scholars. The greater number of these churches are connected with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, an association which was formed in 1863. The Baptist churches of Wales are associated in the Baptist Union of Wales, which was formed in 1867, those of Scotland in the Baptist Union of Scotland, and those of Ireland in the Irish Association. The missionary societies supported by the Baptist churches of the United Kingdom are: The Baptist Missionary Society, General Baptist Missionary Society, British and Irish Baptist Home Mission, Baptist Home Missionary Society for Scotland, Young Men's Association in Aid of the Baptist Missionary Society, Bible Translation Society, Metropolitan Tabernacle Colportage Association, German Mission in London, Ladies' Association for the Support of Zenana Work in India, Chinese Inland Mission, Palestine Mission (established 1870, central station Nablous, sub-station Rafedia, two native missionaries, seven baptized converts, one hundred children in the schools). The Bible Translation Society circulated editions of the Bible in which the words relating to baptism are translated by terms signifying immersion, of which translations have been made for India, Ceylon, the western coast of Africa, Orissa, and Japan. Besides these, numerous benevolent societies of various character, Publication and Tract Societies, are supported. The list of Baptist periodicals in Great Britain comprises the Hand-Book and four Almanacs, the Quarterly Reporter of the German Baptist Mission, eleven monthly and two weekly periodicals in England, one monthly magazine in Scotland, and five publications in Wales. The Hand-Book gives the following statistics of the churches in the missions and colonies: Ceylon, 26 churches, 60 sub-stations, 22 pastors, three of the churches self-supporting; India, 65 churches, 88 pastors, 9,748 members; South Africa, 23 churches, 10 pastors, 373 members, with 476 members in the King William's Town missions; West Africa, 8 churches, 13 pastors, 1,210 members; St. Helena, 1 church, |