good hammering with his pen. Few topics escaped his attention, and he took an active interest in political and social questions, quite as much so, in fact, as in those usually considered to belong to the ministerial profession. This was shown in his opposition to the early abolitionists of the Lloyd Garrison type, his earnest advocacy of the colonization scheme, his joining the Free-Soil party, his strong siding with the Union cause when secession became decided, his vigorous support of the movement which secured the repeal of the "omuibus clause" of the Connecticut divorce law, etc. Leonard Bacon will hold an honorable place in the records of the nineteenth century, and it may be doubted if there be any one in the Congregationalist body who can adequately supply his loss.

BAGLEY, JOHN J., ex-Governor of Michigan, died in San Francisco, California, July 27, 1881, having gone to the Pacific coast in pursuit of health. He was born in Medina, Orleans County, New York, July 24, 1832, his father being a native of New Hampshire and his mother of Connecticut. His school education was obtained at Lockport, New York. At the age of thirteen he went with his father to Michigan, settling at Constantine, in St. Joseph County, where for a brief period his time was divided between a clerkship in a village store and farm-work. At the age of fifteen he found his way to Detroit, and secured employment in a tobacco-factory, and when twenty-one years old engaged in the same line of business for himself, continuing therein, either as sole proprietor, partner, or stockholder, until his death, accumulating a large property. He was also largely interested in other manufacturing corporations, and for some years was vice-president of a national bank. He served Detroit as a member of the Board of Education, as alderman, and as a member and president of the Board of Police Commissioners. In 1868-'69 he was chairman of the Republican State Central Committee, gaining great credit in conducting the campaign of the former year. In 1872 he was nominated as the Republican candidate for Governor, and was elected by a large majority, running ahead of the Grant electors. He was re-elected in 1874. During his administration he was the firm friend of the charitable and educational institutions of the State, and urged legislation for the promotion of their interests -which he regarded as the interests of the State-while his words of official commendation were supplemented by liberal contributions, especially to the university and to the State Public School for Dependent Children. To his recommendation as Governor the State owes the change in its method of dealing with the liquor-traffic-from a dead-letter constitutional and statutory prohibition to effective taxation and restraining legislation. In January, 1881, he was a candidate for United States Senator for the term commencing March 4th, but was defeated in the Republican legislative

caucus by a single vote. In 1855 he was married to Frances E. Newberry, daughter of a pioneer missionary, who, with six children, survives him. Governor Bagley was a liberalist in religion, and was actively identified with the Unitarian Church at Detroit.

BANK SHARES, NATIONAL, SALE AND TAXATION OF. A provision of the National Banking Act makes it unlawful for a national banking association to loan money upon, purchase, or acquire its own stock, except to prevent loss on a debt previously contracted. A shareholder, who has parted with his shares to the bank, can in the event of subsequent insolvency be proceeded against the same as the other shareholders. The question whether an innocent person who has sold his shares, without suspicion that the bank was the purchaser, is held under that clause of the law, was before the courts for two years, and was finally decided by the Supreme Court at Washington in May. One Laflin sold shares of the National Bank of Missouri to a broker, to whom he delivered the certificate with a transfer power signed in blank, as is customary in stock-sales. The broker was the agent of the president of the bank, who received the certificate and paid for it with his individual check. He was acting for the bank, and the shares were entered on the books in the name of a clerk, and paid for out of the bank's funds. Two months later the bank failed. The receiver applied to the court to have the sale declared void. It was argued that, notwithstanding the good faith of the seller, the transfer was void because there was no legal purchaser, and also that as shareholder he had constructive notice of the bank's part of the transaction and of its insolvency. Justice Field's opinion states that the same rules hold in the case of national-bank shares which govern the sales of other corporation stocks. The delivery of the stock certificate, with blank transfer power indorsed, and the receipt of the price, completed the sale. The transfer on the books was not needful for passing the title. The validity of the sale, without the fraudulent complicity of the seller, was not affected by the subsequent illegal transaction.

A number of Federal court decisions have been made relative to the State taxation of national-bank shares which favor the State side of the question. In the German National Bank vs. Kimball, in Illinois, the Supreme Court refused an injunction against the tax, ruling that the person who wishes to resist a tax as unequal, must first tender so much of the tax as is just. In the same State a suit was brought in the Circuit Court, complaining of the law of 1880 under which the assessments were made as granting exemptions to stockholders of corporations other than banks. The court held that it was not the true effect of the law to discriminate against bank-shares. In Ohio the Circuit Court ruled that compulsory process may be issued by the State courts, requiring the officers to make an exhibit of the accounts

Virginia... Washington

827

207

17,997

2,755

1,680

285,381

1

48

927

707

69,124

557

843

42,029

98

84

5,915

408

1,710

I. REGULAR BAPTISTS IN THE UNITED STATES. -The statistics of the regular Baptist churches in the United States, as given by the "American Baptist Year-Book" for 1881, will be found in the table at the head of the next column.

The number of additions during the year by baptism were 102,724; number of Sundayschools, 13,492, with 116,355 officers and teachers, and 926,979 scholars. Total amount of benevolent contributions, $4,389,752.

The "Year-Book" gives lists of seven theological institutions, with 37 instructors and 430 students for the ministry; thirty-one colleges and universities, with 280 instructors and 4,609 students; forty-eight academies, seminaries, institutes, and female colleges, with 350 instructors and 5,522 students in the United States; and sixty-eight weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, and quarterly periodicals in the United States and Canada.

The anniversaries of the Northern Baptist societies of the United States were held at Indianapolis, Indiana, beginning with the meeting of the American Baptist Publication Society, May 19th. The receipts of this society for the year had been $326,820 in the business department and $94,317 in the missionary department, making a total of $421,137, and showing an increase in both departments of $71,573 over the receipts of the previous year. Fifty-seven new publications had been issued during the year, making the present number of publications on the society's cata

West Virginia Wisconsin.. Wyoming..

16,596 2,296,327

logue 1,326. Arrangements were in progress for the preparation of a series of commentaries on the New Testament under the supervision of Professor Alvah Hovey, D. D., of Newton Theological Seminary. In the missionary department, thirty-seven colporteurs and thirty-two State Sunday-school missionaries had been at work in forty-three States and Territories. Increased attention had been paid to the circulation of the Scriptures, of which 13,481 copies had been given away and many thousand copies sold. The German Baptist Publication House employed, with the aid of the National Bible Society of Scotland, twenty-two colporteurs, and had circulated 37,000 Bibles and Testaments, besides large quantities of tracts and other publications in Germany. A Sunday-school Institute was held in connection with the anniversary of the society, at which efforts were resolved upon for establishing Sunday-schools among the colored people of the Baptist churches.

The forty-ninth annual meeting of the American Baptist Home Mission Society was held May 24th. The total amount of the receipts for the year had been $235,032, or $69,580 more than had been received in the previous

year. The sum of $33,160 had been added to the trust and endowment funds, and $12,245 to funds on which annuities were paid. The operations of the society had been enlarged, particularly in the West, and 392 missionaries had been sustained, being 111 more than were employed in the previous year. Of these missionaries, 209 had labored among Americans, 40 among Germans, 30 among Scandinavians, 6 among French, 11 among Indians, 21 among freedmen, and 3 among Chinese. Eleven schools had been sustained, which employed 63 teachers and were attended by 1,649 scholars. Twelve hundred and two churches and outstations, having 16,279 members, had been supplied, 61 churches organized, and 554 Sunday-schools, with an attendance of 29,090, cared for by the missionaries. The number of schools among the freedmen had been increased, by the addition of the schools at Selma, Alabama, and Live Oak, Florida, to ten. Among their students, 367 had the ministry in view. The students had paid a larger sum for tuition than ever before; and the freed people had contributed for the purposes of the schools $2,000 in Alabama, nearly $1,000 in South Carolina, $400 in Florida, and $2,000 in Texas and the Southwest; and they were raising funds in Georgia for the erection of a building at Atlanta for the education of young women. An institution was to be established at Marshall, Texas, to be known as Bishop College." The "Indian University" at Tahlequah, Indian Territory, which had been opened about a year before, had been attended by fifty-seven students, five of whom were studying for the ministry. The establishment of a school at Ogden, Utah, as a means for acquiring influence among the Mormons, was recommended. Preparations had been made to resume the work of the society in Mexico, which, first begun in 1869, had been suspended in 1876.

The anniversary of the American Baptist Missionary Union was held May 21st, the Rev. George D. Boardman, D. D., presiding. The total receipts of the society for the year had been $313,774, of which $24,971 were for invested funds, leaving $288,803 applicable to its general purposes. The appropriations had amounted to $300,653, so that the accounts showed a deficit of $11,850. The condition of the several missions is exhibited in the following table:

Total number of persons baptized during the year, 9,143. Reports were made concerning editions of the Bible and the New Testament in Burman, Karen, Shan, Telinga, the Garos language, Japanese, and the colloquial dialect of Swatow, China.

Recommendations were adopted that it should be made an object to place the Bible in the hands of every Christian family in the missions any of whose members can read or can be easily taught to read, and the New Testament in the hands of children in the Sunday and day schools; to encourage the circulation of the Bible among nominal Christians who can read, with special efforts to induce them to read it, while taking care at the same time not to place the book in the hands of those who will wantonly destroy it.

The Southern Baptist Convention met at Columbus, Mississippi, May 5th. The Rev. P. H. Mell, D.D., was chosen president. The Foreign Mission Board reported that its receipts had been $46,820, and that the debt of the previous year had been paid. An application had been made for the appointment of missionaries to Cuba, and the Secretary of State of the United States had been asked whether such missionaries would be protected and tolerated. The Secretary had replied that they would be protected as citizens, but that no assurance could be given in advance as to the action of foreign authorities toward the missionaries themselves or in respect to their work. The reports of the condition of the several missions may be summarized as follows: Mexico: Thirteen churches had been organized, of which five had been afterward disbanded, leaving eight churches, with 200 members. The missionary, Rev. J. O. Westrup, had been murdered in December, 1880, and a successor to him was to be appointed. Brazil: Three missionaries, two churches, 44 members. Africa (Lagos, Abbeokuta, and Ogbomosho): five missionaries, 92 members. China (Tung Chow, Shanghai, and Canton): 12 missionaries, 18 native assistants, 543 members, 190 pupils. Italy: Four foreign missionaries, 10 native evangelists, 11 stations, 175 members. Efforts had been made to secure the co-operation of the colored Baptists of all the States in prosecuting African missions, but with only partial success. The Home Mission Board had received and expended $27,869. A church with ten members had been organized in San Francisco, California, in connection with the Chinese mission at that place. Buildings had been erected for the Levering Indian Institute in the Creek nation, and the school would be opened in the fall. The missionaries of the board had labored in eight States, where their work was supplemented by that of the missionaries of the State Conventions. They had themselves supplied 59 churches and 48 other stations. Three hundred and fifty women's societies had collected $6,000 for the purposes of the convention.

A Missionary Convention of Colored Baptists of the South was held at Montgomery, Alabama, in the last days of 1880, and organized the Baptist Foreign Missionary Convention of the United States, the object of which was declared to be to give the Gospel to the people of Africa and elsewhere through missionary and educational work. A scheme for home missionary work was also devised. The convention was attended by delegates from Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

II. SEVENTH-DAY Baptists.—The sixty-seventh annual meeting of the Seventh-Day Bap tist General Conference was held at Farina, Illinois, beginning September 21st. Joshua Clarke presided. Two new churches were admitted to membership in the conference, and a third church had been partly organized. A small increase was reported in the number of members of the church. The number added by baptism had been greater than in any previous year for a long time past, and the additions by letter had exceeded the dismissions, but the number of exclusions had been unusually large. The number of Sabbath-schools was 94, with 6,913 persons attending them as officers, teachers, and scholars. A committee which had been appointed to co-operate with the friends of civil liberty in Pennsylvania for the exemption of Sabbath-keepers from the penalties of the Sunday laws of that State, made a report of its work. It had solicited essays in support of its efforts from men of several denominations and from professional men, and had secured many expressions of sympathy, but had not succeeded in getting any formal papers prepared on the subject; and it had obtained a large number of signatures to petitions. A few persons declined to give their support to the movement because it did not go as far as they would have it, in that it did not seek the unconditional repeal of the Sunday law. A bill to protect "religious liberty was introduced in the Legislature of Pennsylvania by Mr. H. Gates Jones, and was supported by public meetings and addresses prompted by the committee, but was opposed by persons who were unwilling to tolerate any relaxation of the Sunday laws of the State; and it failed to pass in the Senate by lacking one vote of receiving a constitutional majority, although twenty-five votes were cast in its favor to fifteen against it. The Committee on Denominational History reported that a complete history was in course of preparation.

The Seventh-Day Baptist Missionary Society, whose anniversary was held in connection with the General Conference, had sustained home and foreign missions. The home missions returned 20 missionaries and missionary pastors laboring in 11 States, with 29 churches and 43 other preaching stations supplied, 26 Bibleschools, and 212 "Sabbath - keeping lies. The foreign mission is at Shanghai, Chi

fami

na, and returned one missionary and his wife and one missionary teacher, two native preachers, one Bible woman, one Sabbath-school and two day-schools, a church of about twenty members, and missionary buildings valued at $7,400. The subject of extending missionary work in Holland beyond the bounds of the church at Haarlem was under consideration. III. OLD OR GENERAL BAPTISTS OF RHODE ISLAND.-The two hundred and eleventh anniversary of the Old or General Baptists of Rhode Island was held in Coventry, September 7th, 8th, and 9th. The Rev. J. Porter was moderator. The body consists of twelve churches, containing in all about 1,200 members. The churches reported no special revivals, "but fair interest and general 'steadfastness.'"

IV. THE BRETHREN, OR TUNKERS. - The Brethren are represented in twenty States. Their churches return 1,578 ministers, 306 of whom are in Pennsylvania, 248 in Indiana, 227 in Ohio, 142 in Illinois, and 133 in Iowa.

The regular Annual Meeting of the Brethren, or Tunkers, was held at Ashland, Ohio, in June. As in former years, much of the time of the meeting was spent in answering queries from district meetings in regard to the mode of dress. It was decided that a church letter ought not to be given to a member who does not dress in the uniform of the church; that only those who conform to the order of dress be appointed on committees to settle difficulties arising on this subject; that those only who dress themselves and wear their hair according to the regulations should be appointed delegates to the annual meeting, in which such only are permitted to speak; that sisters may wear coats of a certain pattern (formerly prohibited), and that they ought not to wear hats. One of the journals of the denomination noticed as signs of the advances which the Brethren were gradually making toward conformity with modern ideas, that the meeting was held in the "Campus" and "under the very shadow of a Brethren's College," and that the standing committee held its sessions in one of the recitation-rooms of the college, "in which there stood at the self-same time a musical instrument-even a forte-piano"; also that a collection was taken for the building of a meeting-house and parsonage in Denmark, a thing that would not have been tolerated on the grounds of the annual meeting sixteen years before. These movements toward conformity with the world have resulted in the formation of three parties among the Brethren: the "Progressives"; those who contend for the old order; and those who occupy a middle position, and deprecate, on the one hand, departures from the established order of the Brethren, and, on the other hand, intolerance of differences and too rigid adherence to unessential matters.

A convention of Old-Order Brethren held in Maryland adopted a protest against the course