partly, to the fact that our New Church people in Olivet were not able to support a minister, and partly to other causes, which could not well be stated in a few words. Having been elected to the office of Probate Judge of Osage County, I concluded to serve a while in that capacity; but, as a large number of New Church people were unwilling to do without my ministrations, I have lately preached regularly for them on Sundays, attending to the probate office during the week. But my desire is to be able to devote myself more exclusively to the work of the ministry ere long. I have also been invited by a number of prominent citizens of this county, not New Churchmen, to give lectures on the doctrines of the New Church, which I intend to do. Wishing you all a pleasant and useful meeting of the Convention, I remain, affectionately, your brother in the New Jerusalem, OLIVET, Osage Co., Kansas, May 23, 1871. ADOLPH J. BARTELS. Report of Rev. J. P. Stuart, Ordaining Minister. Since the last General Convention, under the auspices of the Missouri Association, I have given license to preach the Word and the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and to lead in public Divine worship, to Thomas Benton King, and to J. J. Lehnen, and have renewed the licenses of Charles Wieser, John E. Bowers, Charles Miller, and Joseph W. Bilbie. All of which is respectfully submitted. J. P. STUART, Ordaining Minister. Report of Rev. J. R. Hibbard, Ordaining Minister. To the General Convention of the New Jerusalem Church in the United States: By authority of the Ohio Association, on the twentieth day of October, 1870, I issued to Lewis P. Mercer, of East Rockport, Ohio, a license to preach for one year; and by the same authority, on the twenty-first of December, 1870, I issued a similar license to T. A. Plantz, of Pomeroy, O. By authority of the Illinois Association, on the sixteenth day of October, 1870, at the temple in Peoria, Mr. Cyrus. Scammon, of Janesville, Wis., was, by me, ordained as a pastor and missionary; and by the same authority, on the nineteenth of February, 1871, at the temple in Wilmington, William M. Goodner, of Chicago, was by me ordained into the same office. CHICAGO, June, 1871. JOHN R. HIBBARD, Ordaining Minister. LETTERS TO THE CONVENTION. To the General Convention of the New Jerusalem in the United States of America: I have very reluctantly come to the conclusion that I cannot meet with you this year. The infirmities of age, and my duties at home, will not allow me to enjoy that privilege. Our brother Hayden has been requested to prepare an address to the English Conference, and I am informed that he is ready to offer it for your consideration. No address has yet been received from that body. At our last meeting a question arose with regard to the propriety of giving a general invitation to the Holy Supper when it is administered in the General Convention. The same question had been under discussion in the American Conference of New Church Ministers in their meeting the preceding week, and was referred to a Committee, which will have reported before the Convention meets this year. If that question comes up again, I desire and request that that report may be read. And finally, I wish the Convention to consider whether it will not be convenient and well to choose some other person for President. My absence from this meeting seems of itself to call up the question. I would decline a re-election, if I had not some doubt whether that is a proper thing to do. But there is one thing which I wish to have understood: namely, that if you should excuse me from further service as President, it would be very agreeable to me. Hoping that you will have a good New Church meeting, THOMAS WORCESTER. MAY 26, 1871. In connection with the presentation of this communication from Mr. Worcester, the President, I desire to call the attention of the members of the Convention to the propriety of taking early action in reference to the election of the officers of the Convention. The whole business of the Convention, in the interim between its annual meetings, and the preparations for the work of the Convention, are committed to the two great Committees the Executive Committee, and the Committee on Ecclesiastical Affairs—and it is important that the members of these Committees should be selected with great care, — and I may be pardoned for suggesting that, in making the selection, use alone should be regarded. No one should be put upon either of those Committees who is not a representative man, and who does not feel a working interest in the Church. We need active men, who are not only willing, but desirous, to actively co-operate with the Convention, and who will feel that it is important, and both a duty and a pleasure, to attend the meetings of the Committee, and work for the Church. I should at this Convention have made no allusion to myself in connection with this election, but for the suggestion in Mr. Worcester's communication in relation to himself. I have so often made known my feelings and position upon this subject to the Convention, that it is not necessary that I should repeat them here; but I will say, in all sincerity, that I should feel it a relief to be excused from every official position in the Church and Convention. For forty years it has been a delight to me to count myself among the receivers of the Heavenly Doctrines, and for thirty-eight years I have uniformly attended the sessions of the Convention, when I could conveniently do so. I have been on the Executive Committee, and Chairman of the Board of Publications, ever since their creation, and Vice-President since 1862. No man can be under greater indebtedness to the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Church for his preservation and prosperity than I am, and both from duty and inclination I am ready to serve it in any way my brethren think I can be most useful. At the same time, as the President says of himself in his communication, if the members of the Convention should excuse me from further service, it would not only be very agreeable to me, but a relief from great responsibility. JUNE 12, 1871. J. YOUNG SCAMMON. CHICAGO, June 13, 1871. Hon. J. Young Scammon, Vice-President of the General Convention of the New Jerusalem: DEAR SIR, — The American New Church Sabbath-school Association, at its meeting yesterday, by vote, directed me to request the General Convention to set apart one day of its next session for the annual meeting of the Sabbath-school Association, in accordance with the plan adopted by the Committee of Arrangements of the present Convention. Very respectfully, F. A. DEWSON, President American New Church Sabbath-school Association. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. To the Committee on Foreign Correspondence: GENTLEMEN, Again is it my duty to appear before you, as one of the Committee, to render an account of my trust during the past year, in which I have corresponded with receivers of the Heavenly Doctrines in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. From letters received from those places, it appears that there are two societies in Vienna, Austria, and they number about three hundred. They have laymen to lead in worship, and on these occasions use the German Liturgy and hymn-book of the German Church of America. The sermons read are taken from the German New Church Messenger-" Bote" -printed by the General Convention; and their Sabbath-schools are also provided with books from this country. Nearly five hundred copies of a German "Book of Worship" for children were sent to Vienna and Switzerland last winter, and these, together with several German New Church catechisms, arranged in this country, are used for the education of German children. Last fall, a German work was prepared by the editor of the German "Bote," entitled “A Leader,” with the intention of conveying, with facility, the doctrines of the New Church to the understanding. This work seems to have been of much service, especially to German parents in Europe, inasmuch as they are aided by it in educating their children; besides this, it is very useful as a tract. Numbers of these works have also been sent to Bohemia; and in the neighborhood of Prague, a circle of some fifty receivers meet for worship; although too indigent to purchase New Church periodicals, they possess several of the principal writings of Swedenborg, and out of these volumes one of the congregation, who is thoroughly acquainted with the German language, translates passages into the Bohemian for the benefit of those who are not sufficiently so, to appreciate it. The German books sent from this country to the Sunday-schools there were donated, as also some New Church tracts, printed by the New Church Tract Society, were sent to the society in Vienna. In Switzerland, our friend Mr. Theodore Muellensiefen continues to print Swedenborg's works, and several collateral writings. Swedenborg's works were translated by a countess in Denmark, who was assisted by a German Lutheran minister of Wurtemburg, and a receiver, but in connection with the State Church. In Prussia and Bavaria, several persons, during the past year, have embraced the Heavenly Doctrines, among them three distinguished officers of the German army. From this it is evident that the influence of the New Church, through the General Convention in America, is doing an important missionary work in Germany and other foreign countries; and it is to be hoped that the time is not far distant when missionaries will be sent from this country to Europe, who will bring glad tidings of the New Jerusalem to that nation (Germany), which seems destined to assume a very important position among all people of the earth. Before closing, I wish to mention that a second edition of my larger work on the doctrines of the Church has been printed, and a third is now ready for the press. Yours respectfully, ARTHUR O. BRICKMAN. CHRISTIANSTAD, April 25, 1871. HON. J. Y. SCAMMON: The interest you have kindly taken in the Swedenborg Society, and your personal acquaintance with Dr. J. A. Sevên, causes us to address you these lines. Mr. Sevén, who has done so much for the New Church, especially as translator of the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg, has, to our great regret, been removed to the spiritual world. He died on the twenty-third of December, last year, after a long sickness. We would have informed you of our bereavement before this time, but desiring to give you some information in regard to the continued activity of the Swedenborg Society, we delayed addressing you until now. Since last August, when Mr. Seven's health declined, the translation and printing of "Arcana Cœlestia” was discontinued. Having found a zealous and quite competent gentleman, who is able and willing to take Mr. Sevén's place, we are continuing the good work. This gentleman is the Rev. Dr. J. Wahlstrom, in Westeras. He is an old receiver, and perfectly competent to do the work; but having a family to support, the society is pledged to pay him a salary. For this purpose we are obliged to ask our friends to aid us. We can expect but little from our New Church friends in Sweden, because the most of them are poor. Permit us, then, once more, to ask you to render us kindly some assistance in this good work. We shall feel much obliged to you and our New Church friends for taking our cause into kind consideration. We desire to get out two volumes every year and the price for translating these will be less than heretofore -only 25 Rix are asked for each sheet. Two volumes a year will amount to 3,000 Rix, or about 167 pounds sterling. We expect to raise in Sweden about 500 Rix, of which Dr. Kahl alone contributes 200 Rix. To cover the deficiency, we ask the kind assistance of our friends in America and England. We had many troubles in consequence of wanting means, and past experience admonishes us to be careful in the future. We should, therefore, like to know how much assistance we can expect from you annually. Please do for us what you can in procuring for us a sure assistance for the next five years. During that time we can complete the work. We shall try to compensate you by giving you books for the full amount you shall be pleased to give us. The last sheets of the seventh volume of the "Arcana ' are printing, and will soon be ready. Our new translator is now acquainting himself with Mr. Sevén's translation, in order that his translation may accord with the former, and he will continue so to do for the present, or until there are means enough on hand to warrant the continuation of the translation by him. In behalf of the society, Very respectfully, JOH. LOENblad. REPORT FROM WILHELM WINSLOW, TREASURER. CHICAGO, June 13, 1871. The Scandinavian Society for Printing the Writings of Swedenborg and the Dissemination of the Doctrines of the New Church was founded in Chicago December 25, 1869, with the following Trustees: Rev. John C. Ager, Lieut.-Commander Marston Niles, Wilhelm Winslow, Ferdinand S. Winslow, John R. Hibbard, Sydney Myers, J. Young Scammon, and the following temporary officers: Marston Niles, President, Ferdinand S. Winslow, Vice-President, Wilhelm Winslow, Treasurer and Secretary. It was proposed to continue the translation and publication of Swedenborg's works, already then commenced by Mr. Adolph Boyesen, and to employ him and his elder brother, S. F. Boyesen, then a captain in the Norwegian Army, in the missionary work in Norway and in this country. After having received information of the organization of this society, Captain Boyesen immediately declared himself willing to commence his labors as missionary, but it was |