William Gurley, of Troy, N. Y., was one of the Society's generous contributors. The Board, numbering eighteen members, contains nine ministers and nine business men, two of whom are residents of New Jersey, three of Connecticut, five of Brook Four missionaries have died during the year. Rev. A. J. Shoemaker, of Pennsylvania, was called away soon after he began | lyň, and eight of New York City and vicinity. his labors as an instructor in the Indian The Board has held seventeen meetings University at Muskogee, Ind. Ter. He was during the year. The average attendance greatly beloved, and lamented by his associ- at Board meetings has been two-thirds of the ates and by the students. Rev. Alfred S. whole number. Orcutt, of Pipestone, Minn., was killed almost instantly by the falling walls of a burning building. He was a good man, a faithful preacher and successful pastor, whose death was a great shock to his church. Rev. I. W. Wilkinson, who had wrought with success in mission fields in Dakota, died at Minneapolis, Minn. Miss Emeline A. Briggs, of Massachusetts, died at Florida Institute, Live Oak, Fla., in the midst of her labors. These and other departures of well-known servants of our Lord again remind us of His own words, which we may appropriately adopt as our own: "I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work." CHANGES IN THE BOARD. In the place of J. A. Bostwick, Esq., elected at the last annual meeting, but who declined to serve, the Board elected C. H. Dutcher, Esq., of the Emmanuel Baptist Church, Brooklyn. Rev. R. S. MacArthur, D.D., overburdened with varied work, felt compelled to resign his position as a member of the Board of which he had been an efficient member. In his place Rev. R. B. Kelsay, D.D., Pastor of the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, Brooklyn, was elected. H. Jameson, Esq., one of the auditors and a faithful member of the Board, was compelled by reason of ill health to offer his resignation. Wm. A. Cauldwell, Esq., of the Calvary Baptist Church, New York, was elected to fill the vacancy. W. The absence, on account of long-continued illness, of J. B. Hoyt, Esq., of Connecticut, whose long devotion to the Society's interests, and whose generous offerings have greatly endeared him to his associates, has been deeply regretted. I. FINANCIAL, ETC. RECEIPTS. The total receipts of the year, including conditional and permanent trust funds (not including Church Edifice loans repaid), have been $552,314.67. This is fully $150,000 in excess of the receipts of any previous year. These have come from forty-seven States and Territories, also from Manitoba, British Columbia, Mexico, India, Italy, and Den mark. The receipts may be classified as follows: I. From contributions of churches, Sunday schools, and individuals, including $14,300 conditional trust funds, $349,797.36. II. From legacies, $158,257.19. III. Income from Church Edifice loans and invested funds, $17,598.94. IV. From the Schools of the Society, $19,987.61. V. Miscellaneous, including receipts for the BAPTIST HOME MISSION MONTHLY, $12,238.66. A further analysis, showing to what purpose these receipts are applicable, gives the following results: I. For General purposes (i. e., for salaries of missionaries, teachers, officers, and expenses of administration).—From general contributions, $179,907.86; from legacies, $90,878.02; from all other sources, $34,645.08; total, $305,430.96. II. Designated Funds.-- 1. For Church Edifice work: (a) Benevolent Fund. Contributions from churches, individuals, and Sunday-schools, $35,361.53; from legacies, Of this amount $60,000 were for general purposes, $10,000 for educational work among the colored people, and $35,000 for the Church Edifice Fund. $41,379.17; from income of invested funds, $1,604.94; gift returned, $300; total, $78,645.64. (b) Loan fund. From legacies, $1,000; income from loans, $6,051.04; total, $7,051.04. Total for Church Edifice work, $85,696.68. 2. For school buildings and other objects, $9,492.47. 3. For payment of last year's debt, $120, (Other than Church Edifice funds): From investments to be added to principal, $1,855.11. IV. Conditional or Annuity Funds (donors receiving annuities during their lives) :-From individuals, $14,300. Two items in the large receipts of the year are worthy of special mention: From the estate of ex-Gov. Abner Coburn, of Maine, $25,000 have been received, designated specifically for Wayland Seminary, Washington, D. C. The special effort for the debt has somewhat affected contributions for the current work of the year, as was expected. In general, howfavorably with those of preceding years. If ever, offerings of the churches compare value of the generous gift of property in to the grand total of $552,503.47 we add the Washington, D. C., by Mrs. M. M. Gray, of would be $572,503.47. Oakland, Cal., the past year, the amount EXPENDITUres. The first is the payment of last year's indebtedness of $123,428.93. The accomplishment of this undertaking affords cause for special thanksgiving. The plans to this end were carefully made and methodically prose-priations to the average of annual receipts cuted. Within the short space of eighty days, pledges and cash were secured to cover the entire amount-the " cap stone" being put on in fifteen minutes at the opening session of the last annual meeting, when about $7,000 were pledged for this purpose. Of the large number of pledges, ranging from fifty cents to $30,000, only a very few remain unpaid. Indeed so great was the benevolent momentum of this effort that the offerings and pledges ran somewhat beyond the amount called for. The amount actually paid in, viz.: $124,302.61, is $873.68 in excess of the principal of the debt. This fully covers the incidental expenses of the effort. The result shows what American Baptists are capable of doing when a great emergency arises. Your Board have adhered very closely to the rule adopted a year ago in limiting appro during the three years preceding. In the reasonable expectation of increased resources from certain legacies, slight enlargement in urgent cases was deemed justifiable. The expenditures in general are as follows: The second thing is the amount from the legacies. The largest sum ever received by the Society at once from a legacy was paid in March, 1887, by Hon. Eustace C. Fitz, executor of the estate of Gardner Chilson, Esq., of Mass., who died in 1877. By the death in Dec., 1886, of his son, who had a life interest in a large portion of the estate, the Society came into possession of $105,000. 1. For missionaries' salaries, $130,666.79. 2. For teachers' salaries, $59,260.98. 3. For special educational purposes, $41,442.94. 4. In gifts for church edifice work, $29,296.58. 5. For expenses of administration at the rooms, $16,055.82. 6. For collecting and supervising agencies, $15,799.42. For detailed statement concerning these and minor expenditures see Treasurer's report. There has been no material change in the expenses of administration and collection, which are less than six per cent. of the year's receipts. The following tabulated statement gives the amount appropriated to the several mission fields last year and four years preceding: $121,286 40 $133,056 48 $154,446 73 $133,155 27 $130,666 79 88 Notwithstanding the purpose of your Board to keep down appropriations to about the average annual receipts of the past three years, yet, in consequence of the falling off in receipts and in ordinary legacies already referred to, there would have resulted a deficiency of about $47,000 had it not been for the timely and extraordinary legacy mentioned. The rule adopted, therefore, is not a guarantee against a debt. While we rejoice that escape from a debt was thus provided by Him who times all things according to His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, at the same time there is a tinge of regret that of the $70,000 of the Chilson legacy for the general purposes of the Society only $23,000 remains for new work, when the whole of it was so greatly needed. Indeed, in the light of the year's experience it is a grave question whether any enlargement can be made. Your Board would impress upon the constituency of the Society the necessity of undiminished contributions, and earnestly expresses the hope that the erroneous impres sion may not prevail that the Society has abundant resources for its immense work. ADJUSTMENT OF THE DEANE LOSSES. The inevitable prominence which the Society's losses, through Mr. Deane, assumed at the last meeting of the Society, and the general expectation that some adjustment of these losses would be made during the year, calls for a report on this subject. The Society, by vote, directed “that the whole matter of adjusting the settlement of the losses incurred by the misconduct of J. H. Deane be referred to the Board for final settlement." A proposition made by Mr. Deane just prior to that meeting, while under consideration by the Board, was withdrawn. Directly after the annual meeting, steps were taken to effect an adjustment, but, on account of Mr. Deane's failure to make or accept any proposition, the matter lingered until the early part of this year, when, upon express demand by the Board, a settlement was accomplished. The terms of the settlement are essentially as follows: Mr. Deane's indebtedness to the Society is fixed at $132,000. Mr. Deane agrees to pay the Society $66,000, as follows: $1,000 in cash; $1,500 on May 3, and $2,500 on June 13, 1887, for which satisfactory notes were given; and $1,500 every three months thereafter, beginning with Nov. 1, 1887, until $61,000 is thus paid, for which notes are given by Mr. Deane, and endorsed by his brother, bearing six per cent. interest. When payment in full of the foregoing amounts is made, the Society shall release Mr. Deane from further obligation. In default of payment of any of said notes at maturity, and the same remaining unpaid for thirty days, the entire amount of the original indebtedness, at the option of the Society, becomes due and payable, and the Society may proceed to collect the same, and to enforce any other remedies against Mr. Deane which it would have had if this agreement had not been made. Inasmuch as the Society directed the Board to effect an "adjustment," rather than resort to severer measures, and inasmuch as the general sentiment of the friends of the Society was in favor of this course, it is believed that the action of the Board, all things being considered, will receive the commendation of the Society. In this connection it may be stated that, pursuant to the recommendations in the report of the Special Committee of last year, approved by the Society, that the Board should apply funds available from legacies to repair so far as practicable the Society's losses, $35,000 of the legacy of the late Gardner Chilson, designated in general to the Church Edifice Fund, have been so applied to the Church Edifice Benevolent Fund. Though such losses naturally tend to weaken confidence in the management of benevolent organizations, yet, in this case, because of the full and open reports of the Board and of the Special Committee of the Society last year concerning it, and because of the immediate adoption of a more rigid system in the financial department, the confidence of the denomination in the administration of the Society's affairs without doubt remains substantially unshaken. This is shown not only in verbal expressions, but in the continued liberality of the people, and specially in large offerings of $7,600, $10,000, and $20,000, from old and new friends of the Society. CHRISTIAN BENEFICENCE. It is particularly gratifying to note how much attention this subject has received during the year. Last year's report of the committee of the Society has been widely disseminated. In this matter "line upon line, precept upon precept," is required, both for the correction of existing faults and for the proper instruction of the large numbers that annually unite with our churches. Reports of the District Secretaries show an advance in the number of contributing churches. Still, less than one-half of the churches in New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, make regular annual contributions for Home Missions; in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois less than one-third; while in the States beyond, contributions distinctively for Home Mission Fre So work in its broad aspects, and separate from State Convention work, are very rare. quent changes in the pastorate, the pastorless state of many feeble churches, the once-amonth preaching in vogue in some sections, are circumstances that seriously interfere with efforts to secure systematic offerings from many churches. There is also a large fluctuating element in the list of contributing churches. Thus in the District of New York and Northern New Jersey, for the year ending April, 1886, out of 491 contributing churches there were 105 which did nothing the year before, while 112 that contributed the year before dropped out of the list. This fluctuating element is therefore about twenty per cent. or one-fifth of the whole number of contributing churches in any year. that, eliminating this fluctuating element, we find that there were but 386 churches, out of about 1,000 in the District, that made contributions to Home Missions regularly two years in succession. In three years' time, however, 635 had contributed. What is true of this District is measurably true of other Districts. In the New England District, containing 929 churches, it appears that of 431 contributing churches in 1886-7, there were 113 that did not contribute the previous year, while 91 that contributed in 1885.6 made no offering last year-leaving but 318 contributing two years successively. Surely, with this comparatively small percentage of churches that can be depended upon for stated annual contributions, the Society's trust in the arm of man is not likely to lead it to forget that its trust and hope are in God. In the place of the lamented Dr. Cooper the Board appointed Rev. Edward Ellis, District Secretary for Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. He began his work in August, and has had a very favorable reception by the pastors and churches in his district. For about five months, from November, 1886, Rev. Dwight Spencer labored in cooperation with Dr. Haigh in presenting the claims of the Society chiefly to the churches in Iowa, eighty-two of which were visited with encouraging results. The time has fully come when the Society must ask the principal churches in all the Western States for distinct offerings for its general work. The burden is too great to be borne longer without their liberal co-operation. It is but right that this Society, as well as others, should now gather fruit from the trees of its own planting and its special care. And the offerings from the churches should be made relatively to other claims, somewhat in proportion to the magnitude of the Society's missionary, church edifice, and educational work. With pleasure we record the fact that prominent churches in Iowa, Minnesota, and Kansas during the past year have made separate and generous contributions to the general work of the Society. We emphasize the necessity for a continuance and enlargement of these gifts until the churches of the older West shall stand in line with those of the East in this respect. In respect to these numbers two or three things should be noted:-In Vermont Associations there are several churches belonging in Canada, and their contributions go to Canadian institutions. In each of the New England States a large number of the non contributing churches are small and feeble, reporting from six to twenty members. In no part of our country have churches in rural districts suffered from emigration more than in New England. The resident membership will not vary much from 100,000. During the year I have traveled 13,189 miles, delivered seventy sermons and addresses, attended seventy prayer-meetings, written over 1,000 official letters, distributed a large number My of circulars and Home Mission Monthlies. traveling expenses have been $306.48; postage, $44.15; stationery, $9.65. NEW YORK AND NORTHERN NEW JERSEY REV. C. P. SHELDON, D.D., DISTRICT SECRETARY. The interest in and support of the work of the Home Mission Society on my field shows no particular change during the past year. About the same number of churches have made In contributions as during the preceding three or four years. In all my field 115 churches contributed in the year 1885-6 that did not contribute the past year, while 102 churches contributed the past year that were non-contributors the previous year. Nearly all, except the smallest and weakest churches, are accustomed with a good degree of regularity to make contributions. Very much, however, depends upon the interest and action of the pastors in regard to such contributions. nearly every church, however weak and small, there are individuals who would willingly and gladly contribute something for our work, if the opportunity was regularly and properly afforded them. Some of the churches have given more the last year than in previous years, while others have given less. The decrease has been mostly in some of the larger churches in the cities. More money has been received from my field than in any previous year, but a large portion was for the debt as pledged by individuals and churches; hence the receipts for the current work of the Society were somewhat less than in the preceding year. With the debt paid, there is hope that the income from the field will be more regular, steady, and increasingly large. |