the Master; while Rev. Peter Grant, at Park River, after fourteen weeks of constant revival effort, preaching three times on Sabbath and every night in the week, broke down just as an abundant harvest was ready to be gathered in; thirty-one ready for baptism. The work goes on, though the noble leader is temporarily laid aside.

Rev. Wm. H. Travis has lately been appointed at Fairmount, where he is doing good work. We now have four more workers on the field than we had one year ago, and we also have four churches more to be cared for. Six more men are imperatively demanded to supply the congregations already gathered. Four of our churches have nearly approached the point of ability of self-support. The excessive drought west af the Red River Valley last season nearly ruined the harvest in that part of the field, making it necessary for a larger outlay of missionary support from our treasury.

We are yet laying foundations, and wish to lay them wisely and well. There are yet eighty towns, and fourteen of these are county-seats, without a Baptist church or minister, and there are Baptists in all of them. Then the present season will be unprecedented in railroad building in this part of the Territory, and many more towns will spring into existence, calling for church organization, houses of worship and the living ministry. The General Missionary ought to be relieved from much of his present work, and left free to follow up these new lines of road and go into the destitute places and plant the standard in all these new and growing towns. Then there should be a Scandinavian General Missionary appointed to labor among the more than 40,000 Scandinavians in North Dakota. Rev. J. A. H. Johnson, of Fargo, is the man for that work, and he would have a very promising field; hundreds of his countrymen would be brought to receive the truth as it is in Jesus.

Kansas Gleanings.

General Missionary D. D. Proper sends us the following from his field:

Marion. This church was organized last August. It now numbers seventy-two members, and is engaged in building a new meeting-house, with $2,300 subscribed. Missionary money makes this possible by settling Pastor C. H. Wareham.

Sterling. Since settlement of Rev. Wm. Wilbur, this church is putting on new life and power. The work of building a new meeting-house is in progress. Russell.-Until a few months ago this church was practically doing nothing. Now there is a good Sunday school, good congregations, and a subscription is being secured for a new house, with good prospects of success.

Marysville.-Until last December this church was doing nothing, and about dead. With the settling

of Pastor Brown the membership has been nearly doubled, a good Sunday school equal to any in town has been organized, and good congregations are gathered every Sunday.

Sedan. From almost nothing this church, under care of Pastor Elwell, is coming up to front rank, and a new meeting-house enterprise is under way.

Toronto. After aid of one year this field becomes self-supporting. The membership have increased from eighteen to over seventy, and other things in proportion. A new church at Neal has been organized.

Conway Springs.-This church was in a very discouraged condition one year ago, with scarcely a score of members. Timely aid, in helping support a pastor, has resulted in increasing the number of members to over sixty, and paying off a large amount of the debt on the new house of worship.

Hill City. During the past seven months Pastor Farley has been instrumental in adding to the membership of this church, and has organized two new churches in the regions round about, baptizing quite a number.

Wa Keeney. This church, organized less than one year ago, with fourteen members, under care of Pastor Walker, since July has increased to over thirty, and are canvassing for funds to build a new house of worship. A new church has also been organized in the country.

Lincoln and Beverly.-Aiding the Pastor, Rev. J. H. Henry, in this field has resulted in the resuscitation and enlargement of the Lincoln Church, paying off a depressing debt, and the erection of a new house of worship at Beverley. He has organized two new churches.

Concordia. This church was greatly discouraged a few months ago. Since the coming of Pastor Simmons there have been twenty additions, and the Sunday school and congregations are largely increased.

In other places debts have been paid, bells have been put in, meeting-houses started, churches encouraged, congregations and Sunday schools built up, and the cause greatly advanced by timely missionary aid on our Home Mission fields in Kansas.

The Arkansas City Church, which last year was on our list of mission churches, is self-supporting this year, and on a recent Sunday gave $176 to aid our State Mission work. Great results follow the expenditure of missionary money on these fields.

St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The following, from the New York Sun's correspondent, contains a large quantity of truth mixed with the humor :

St. Paul and Minneapolis are marvels among all the cities of the globe. Frontier villages on the borders of a savage-infested, unexplored wilderness twentyfive years ago; small towns on the remote edge of civilization fifteen years ago; crude and straggling

has been no mission work among the Finlanders until late, when a few of them came to our meetings, were hopefully converted, and followed Christ in baptism. These young converts have now prepared a hall in the midst of their countrymen, where I preach twice a week to an average attendance of seventy-five, many of whom never have been within a church since they came to this country. Here have we also received fourteen children to our Sunday school, who before have been playing on the streets.

"What I need is Bibles. Many Swedes are without Bibles, and among the Finlanders I think seventy-five per cent. are without both Bibles and Testaments.

I should need three dozen Bibles and six dozen Testaments in the Swedish language of an edition called 'Bibel Kommissionen.'

"Since Pastor Baldwin took up the work with the Second American Baptist Church we have not been able to secure a place large enough for our Sunday evening meetings. We are therefore compelled to build a ¦ church this spring."

-This comes from a Minnesota Sunday school superintendent, Mr. G. L. Morgan, of Pipestone. It is very gladly received, and is very suggestive:

"Please find money order for $4.70, our offering for Chapel Day. We are a young school, and know something about what it is to start a school in the West. We are a year old, and for six months we held our school over a saloon in the court room. We have been self-sustaining since we organized, but it is about all we can do. We are increasing in strength every month. The children enjoyed it very much. Hoping the mite will be received as it was given."

Oregon.-George T. Ellis, La Grand :

"The past three months have been months of steady growth in all the departments of our church work. During the month of January I held special meetings. The meetings were a source of blessing and strength to the church. Some have united, and others expect to unite at the next covenant meeting. We have just ordered a bell for the church weighing 850 pounds. In addition to my work here, I have

"In the First Church the Sabbath school, which was organized November 1st, has reached an average attendance of about fifty. Two were recently baptized from the school. The Sabbath congregations are increasing and a good degree of interest is manifest.

"At the Danish Church, Rev. Christopherson, pastor, the work is prospering finely. Several baptisms have occurred during the winter, and the house is thoroughly filled at almost every service. They need a larger building.

"At the Swedish Church, Rev. Holmgren, pastor, the work has been greatly blessed. The church has grown from fourteen to forty-eight. A small but neat building has been erected as a place of worship. They have a good Sabbath school. They expect more baptisms soon."

--From Brainerd, Rev. E. J. Brownson sends this note of progress and encouragement:

"I send you my second quarterly report. I am glad of the prosperity which has come to us. We held extra meetings in January, and several found Christ. Most of those I baptized came from the Sunday school. We are paying our church debt; this makes the third payment we have made. In another year I hope to see the debt entirely removed.

"I have done something in the way of sending good literature among the lumbermen of Minnesota. We have a large number of camps in this vicinity, | and almost no Christian work has been done among them. Here is a large field of work among a much neglected class. Our Sunday school is very prosperous; it is the largest in the history of the school; we are almost crowded out of our quarters to supply room, but we will accommodate all who come. We now average over one hundred, with a gradual growth."

at Elgin in their efforts to build. They have the foundation laid and the lumber all on hand, and as soon as spring opens they will push the building to completion."

-J. F. Baker, Spokane Falls:

"The quarter just ended has been the best one of my ministry here. The first of December Mrs. May C. Jones came to labor with us in response to an invitation from the pastor and church. Preparations for her coming had been made, and we were all expecting a blessing. God did not disappoint us, and as a result of our three weeks' meeting there were some fifteen conversions and some half a dozen wandering ones brought back to Christ and the church. There have been ten baptized, and others, no doubt, will come. The church has been greatly quickened, and our outlook is very hopeful."

Kansas.-The missionary churches in Kansas are coming rapidly into the line of self-support. Let the good work go on. Rev. D. C. Ellis, of Holton,

says:

"I have made no application for a re-appointment, because we hope to be self-supporting in future. We have more than doubled our membership in the nine months since I came here. I am very thankful to the Board for the assistance given.

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May God ever bless the labors of the Home Mission Society. Pray for me."

-The church at Coffeyville, which has built a neat church edifice within the last two years, and now owns it, free of debt, sends word by the pastor, Rev. L. J. Dyke:

"We are going to try to get along without further aid from the Home Mission Society. I am very grateful for the aid we have received. Our present number is forty-one, but we are out of debt, and I hope we may be able to raise a salary of fifteen dol

lars per week, with which I shall try to get along for the present.

"We have a prospect of something of an addition. There are some quite substantial members of the Methodist Episcopal Church coming to us. We are now engaged in a revival meeting, which has been in progress for nearly two weeks. There have been a number of conversions, and a good many more are deeply anxious. So far the work has been almost entirely among adults. Six, all adults, have been received for baptism, and will be baptized to-night."

Wisconsin.-Refreshing from the presence of the Lord and a harvesting of precious souls has been the experience on many mission fields the past winter. Rev. S. A. Abbot reports from New Richmond:

"With much thankfulness I present it, for our Father has blessed us in this field with much favor. During the quarter we have held special services for three weeks, resulting in the double blessing of the quickening of our membership and the salvation of nearly a score of souls, with many more inquirers, whom we expect will soon come into the light of sins forgiven. Eight have already been received for baptism, and more to follow. We have also been talking and praying about more commodious accommodations, as our house of worship is now crowded, and we must have some kind of enlargement, or be much crippled in our work. Our Sunday school has grown steadily, until nearly one hundred have been enrolled, and our room is now overflowing; but we expect en- | largement, for God is faithful."

Colorado.-Leadville, having paid its loan to the Home Mission Society, repaired and improved its house of worship, now takes another step in advance. Mr. John B. Henslee, one of the church's strong pillars, writes us as follows:

"Knowing you are interested in all fields where the Society has been lending help, I drop you a line in regard to ours:

"We have called Rev. L. L. Kneeland, of Kankakee, Ill., at a salary of $1,200, which we hope to pay without assistance. Brother Kneeland has accepted, and expects to be here by second Sunday in April."

Arizona.-Rev. U. Gregory writes:

"During the past month I have visited Florence, Phoenix and Tempe, where we organized a church of twelve members, one by baptism, and then came home to hold Gospel meetings every night. Our meetings have been well attended. Yesterday we received into membership by letter and experience three-two men and one woman; and some interest is manifested by others. We continue the meetings this week. Truly the Lord is rewarding our efforts to save souls. We send Post Office check for collection of $2.50. Had it not been for raising $20 for three years of insurance money for the church, we could have made it much larger. Some thief stole my horses last Friday night out of my pasture-field. It

was my missionary team, and a buggy-horse of Mrs. Gregory's. We feel the loss, as we are not in funds to replace them."

Dakota.-Rev. F. M. Horning sends the following good news:

"The Lord has been with us in Blunt. Brother

Clevenger, of Brookings, assisted the pastor in a ten days' meeting, during which over twenty found Christ. Ten have already been baptized. The church has received eleven by letter and experience since January 1st. We number fifty-nine now. Brother Clevenger has been given a wonderful winning power."

-The following shows something of a pioneer missionary's hardships and devotion:

"Hard times still hold sway with us. Very little money to be had. Low price for a small crop. Utterly dependent as we are on our salary, our debts could only increase, and as they fell due I felt constrained by Christian honor to borrow one hundred dollars, at two per cent. per month, though not knowing how I was to pay it, but securing it on organ, books, and stove. Hence, you see how opportune the check came. With it I paid one note of fifty dollars, bought some coal, etc.

"The other note is not due till June, but I hope to be able to meet it by earning the money, for I think carpenter work will be plenty, not that I intend to give up preaching, though often tempted to. But it is such a blessed service, I could not bear to do so."

Church Edifice Notes.

-Trinidad, Col., needs a house of worship, but we have no money to give.

"We have no house of worship and cannot build unless we can get outside assistance. Whisky is the controlling power, and we have to work and hope, and tremble between fear and hope. Sunday is not very much respected here. We feel sometimes as if we had no Sabbath. People do not like to go to a hall to hear preaching, and what are we to do?"

-I. There are over forty houseless Baptist churches on the North Pacific Coast.

II. Most of these can not have Sunday schools because they have no house of worship.

III. There are thirty-five county seats without a Baptist meeting house.

IV. We have only two church edifices and one mission chapel in all British Columbia.

V. There are not more than ten churches of the forty able to build, and they won't.

VI. There are fifteen others which will build as soon as they can possibly do so, but years must elapse before they can pay even one-half for a house.

VII. There are fifteen others which could and would build during 1887, if they could be aided to the amount of $300 on an average. To what better use

could a like sum be put? It would furnish a home for a church and Sunday school till Jesus comes.

VIII. If the money could be furnished we could build one of these churches every month of 1887.

IX. The money is to be paid to the American Bap. tist Home Mission Society in New York, and paid the church under the rules governing their Church Edifice Work. J. C. BAKER.

-Rev. T. K. Tyson, Valparaiso, Neb., writes as follows:

"I hardly know what we will do for a meeting place, as the hall in which we hold services is engaged for weekly club dances for the winter, thus breaking into our plans. Oh, that the hearts of God's treas. urers might be open to replenish your Church Edifice Fund, that you might be able to grant us aid in build. ing a house of God, where dances, shows, nor political meetings will ever enter to pollute the atmosphere and besmirch the floor. I never before felt so keenly the disadvantage of having to meet in a public hall. We must build in order to live; but I confess I cannot see how we can complete a house at all adequate to our needs without help.

-Rev. J. Sunderland, our very efficient General Missionary for Minnesota, is putting forth all his energies in planting gospel churches in that rapidly growing State. He is striving to bring the older churches in the more settled portions of the State up to their full duty in the work of church extension. He says, "Just look at these facts. Nine meeting houses have been dedicated in Minnesota during 1886. Fourteen more are under way, and five more churches have bought lots and are moving towards building— twenty-eight in all, and several other churches are sure to build this year. Most of these are on our mission fields. We cannot hold them back. Many of these must have help. Our Board hopes to raise in the State for Church Edifice work not less than $2,000 the present conventional year, aside from any aid given to churches in our two cities. Our needs press us to do it. We must either do it or fail to meet the crisis which is upon many of our churches. We shall cling to the hope that you will be able to help us more than the $1,000 during the year 1887. " We wish every one of our Western Conventions would give special attention to raising funds for church edifice work.

-A colored brother whose church has been strug gling with a debt for some time writes: "A church debt is the devil's saddle and he never fails to ride in it." A church debt may be necessary under some circumstances, but when the church neglects all common business principles in carrying the debt, and seems to feel under no obligations to pay or reduce the debt, it often proves a great stumbling block in the way of church prosperity. Churches should be careful of their credit financially if they wish to retain the

respect of the world. Churches should transact their business according to business principles, as well as individuals.

-Our Loan Fund is doing a good work in helping the colored people to obtain houses of worship. As a general rule these people never have large sums of money at one time, but where they have steady work their money comes to them in small amounts, and they are free to give in small amounts at each meeting for worship. By making loans to them for the completion of a house, and allowing them to pay the loan off in small installments for several years, they carry the burden easily, and have the satisfaction of feeling that they have a house paid for by their own earnings. The money thus returned is used to help other churches in the same way. Our records show that the colored churches have been far more prompt in repaying their loans than the white churches. They cannot pay large amounts at once, but, little by little, they grind it off, and thus meet their obligations.

Our Continent.

-The salt product of Michigan this year will probably reach 3,700,000 barrels.

-Over 3,000,000 acres of land in Texas are said to have been burned over by prairie fires the past year.

-Mexico has about 10,000,000 inhabitants; of these, 5,000,000 are full-blood Indians, 3,000,000 half-caste Indians or Mexicans, 1,500,000 whites of Spanish descent, and perhaps half a million Spaniards, other Europeans, Americans, negroes and others.

-The production of gold and silver in the world during the calendar year 1885 was: gold, $101,580,000; silver, calculated at its coining value, nearly $125,000,000. Notwithstanding the large depreciation in the value of silver, the production of silver in the world has steadily increased. The United States still preserves first rank among the nations of the world as the largest producer of the precious metals, its production of gold and silver during the year having reached the sum of $83,400,000, or about two-fifths of the production of the whole world.

-In an article in the Cosmopolitan magazine for April, under the title of "Uncle Sam's Book Case," Mr. Frank G. Carpenter gives many interesting facts concerning the National (Congressional) Library. We have only room for three or four items:

And first, of its number of literary treasures. During Mr. Spofford's administration of twenty-three years the library has largely outstripped all the other great libraries of the country, having now 560,000 bound volumes, 200,000 pamphlets, 350,000 pieces of music, and tens of thousands of works of art, maps, and photographs. Its annual increase from copyright alone amounts to from 20,000 to 30,000 volumes.