benevolent offerings, what an income the caused by the resignation of F. C. Linde, Society would have this year.

hundreds, their thousands for a Christian house of worship in the midst of the Chinese joss houses of San Francisco. Will you have some part in this specially important enterprise? You can have until next December in which to pay your pledge, if it is not convenient to send the money now.

able, yet modest men, too numerous to permit us to confine ourselves to a favored few on anniversary occasions. If any brother thinks himself unappreciated we have simply this to say: Wait a little, your turn is coming.

A very large majority of speakers and committeemen at the Annual Meeting of the Society were from the West. It is true, however, that many of these were Eastern men transplanted. They seem to have improved by the change.

Rev. Wm. J. Simmons, D.D., of Louisville, Ky., has been appointed District Secretary of the Society for the colored people of the Southern States. Dr. Simmons accepted and enters upon his work July 1. This appointment is very acceptable to leading colored Baptists in the South and we doubt not will be generally approved. That it will prove beneficial to all concerned we have no doubt. FIFTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT

It is the first appointment of the kind made by the Society. A good man will be required to take his place as President of the State University, Louisville, Ky.

Some of the good things uttered at Minneapolis will appear in subsequent issues of the MONTHLY and will be interesting reading. The weekly papers cannot report in full what was said, though their reports in general have been excellent. The admirable address of welcome to the Society by Hon. Geo. A. Pillsbury ought to be read in full by thousands. We expect to present liberal extracts from it, even if the whole of it cannot be reproduced in the MONTHLY.

Remember this year's rallying cry: HALF A MILLION FOR HOME MISSIONS?

OF THE

EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE

AMERICAN BAPTIST HOME MISSION SOCIETY.

PRESENTED AT MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.,
MAY 30TH, 1887.

The Fifty-fifth Annual Report of the Executive Board is presented to the American Baptist Home Mission Society at its meeting in a great city, where, at the time of the Society's organization fifty-five years ago, there was no Baptist church nor any community out of which a church could have been gathered. Indeed, even as late as 1850 It is sometimes said that the Societies there were only 6,077 persons in Minnesota appoint as speakers and committeemen Territory. The marvellous growth and deabout the same set of men, with little varia- velopment of this region in a single generations, year after year. How groundless this tion illustrates the urgency of the demand for statement is appears from the fact that over Home Mission work in our broad land, which two hundred men have been appointed on doubles its population in about twenty-seven the Society's committees the past five years, years, while the doubling of England's and that during the past eight years very few population requires seventy years and that of France one hundred and sixty years. For appointed speakers have addressed the Society twice. Eastern men at Minneapolis the first time the Society convenes in this were surprised at the ability shown by some populous portion of the Central West-no of the men from the West who for the first more "the Far West"-to greet and to time were brought out by the Society. It is receive the greetings of numerous vigorous our purpose to keep out of the ruts and to churches which were organized through her pass the honors around; for the Baptist de-instrumentality, and aided in their weakness, nomination has in its quiet retreats worthy, many of which now are self-reliant bodies

ranking in intelligence, enterprise, piety, and denominational interests here, the vitality, efficiency with the older churches of the East, the enterprise, the liberal spirit characterThe very atmosphere is fragrant with mem-istic of the Baptist brotherhood in this region, ories of godly men who toiled as pioneer and are the sufficient answer to those who inquire local missionaries of the Society in all this whether such outlay has been wisely made. region. The first work of the Society in The trees of the Society's planting and waterMinnesota was begun in May, 1849, by Rev. ing have yielded golden fruit in consecrated John P. Parsons, at St. Paul. Stillwater and men and means, even for the conversion of St. Anthony were occupied later the same the heathen world to Christ. All these things year by Rev. J. S. Webber, and Minneapolis afford cause for rejoicing on this occasion, in October, 1853, by Rev. T. B. Rogers. and inspiration to press our work more Conspicuous among the company of noble vigorously in the newer portion of our men who efficiently wrought for God here, country where the conditions are similar to was Rev. Amory Gale, who, after one year's those that existed here barely a generation service in Minneapolis, from July, 1857, to ago. 1858, was the exploring agent and general missionary in Minnesota for the ensuing sixteen years. He performed an enormous amount of pioneer work and as a wise counsellor was influential in giving direction to our denominational interests in this State. Pioneer missionary work, as illustrated by his labors, has ever been a prominent feature of the Society's operations.

OBITUARY.

Some of the devoted friends of the Society, whose prayers and offerings have contributed to these results, are to be with us no more in these earthly convocations. The number of Life Directors and Life Mem

bers who have passed away during the year,

so far as ascertained, is 88. Their names are
The Committee on
in the appended list.
Obituaries will make special mention of
some whose names, therefore, we need not
repeat.

It is not practicable, in the limits of this report, to present even the briefest biographical sketch of these departed ones. Five of the directors were business men, and thirteen were ministers. Of the seventy life members, eighteen were women, thirty were business or professional men, and twenty-two were ministers. Among those widely known and closely identified with the Society's work were the following:

About two hundred and seventy-five fields in Minnesota have enjoyed the benefit of missionaries supported wholly or in part by the Society, with which, during the last eight years, the State Convention has been in harmonious co-operation, contributing by its liberal offerings and its judicious advisers greatly to the efficiency of the work. The aggregate of missionary service in this State has been 1,143 years. The amount expended for missionary support has been $193,623.18. If this seems large, let it be considered that it is no more than many a church in our cities has expended for its own support within onehalf of this period. Of about 100 Baptist Rev. Silas Ilsley, of Syracuse, N. Y., was church edifices in this State 53 were erected a member of the Executive Board of the by the Society's assistance, 31 from the Society from 1838 to 1842. Rev. E. L. loan fund, 19 from the gift fund, and 3 from Magoon, D.D., who died at Philadelphia, both funds. Thus, nearly every church has Pa., was also a member, with an interval of had missionary aid, and half of those with one year, from 1850 to 1858. Rev. Eleazer houses church edifice aid from the Society. Savage, of Rochester, N. Y., showed his inIt seems fitting to refer to these facts as terest in the Society by a single gift of $2,000 furnishing an example to the constituency to its work. Rev. Henry F. Smith, D.D., of the Society of the way in which offerings of Mount Holly, N. J., was a warm friend have been used and with what excellent of the Society, and was chairman of the results. The substantial character of our Committee on Obituaries a year ago. Hon.