mitted resolutions urging the revision of the Bible, and strongly approving that the American and English Bible Societies unite in producing the best possible version, and that they discontinue the circulation of all inferior editions. The secretary was instructed to correspond with both societies with a view to such joint action, and inviting a proper representative of each society to co-operate with the missionaries of the different denominations in this country in the work. Eleven denominations were represented in the Assembly-the Society of Friends, the Congregationalists, the Baptists (Northern and Southern), the Methodists (Northern and Southern), and the Presbyterians (Northern, Southern, Cumberland and Reformed). The important committees were made up of representatives from each, and the voting on questions of chief importance was by missions. In regard to the distribution of territory among the different denominations the following rule was adopted: That in towns of less than 15,000 inhabitants where only one denomination has established work, we recommend that no other denomination enter. If two or more missions already exist in such towns, it is recommended that the field be left to the undisputed possession of the first occupant, the question being, however, referred to the vote of the congregations themselves, and to a Committee of Arbitration constituted as above. This rule can hold only till the next meeting of the Assembly. Gambling, intemperance, and worldly amusements were discussed, as usual. Gambling and the lottery business of all small kinds are carried on, and appear to flourish under the shadow of the temple of the Virgin of Guadalupe (a temple erected near the spot where, it is asserted, the Holy Mary appeared in 1531 to an Indian, and left her likeness on his tilma). The whole scene would be strange to most Christians, even to the Romanist sight-seer from the United States. A question of very great importance was presented by a Mexican, who was educated at Cambridge, Mass. His eloquent address struck a chord of sympathy in every member of the body. He proposed that there should be founded, by all the missions together, one preparatory school of the first class. The education of Protestant young men in Government schools is utterly impracticable, aside from the spirit of infidelity. Whatever is stolen, or broken, or missing is laid against the Protestant, and things are broken and stolen for his special benefit. The founding of one school would save a large amount of money, and permit the education of a larger number of young men. In such a school branches should be taught which would not cause the least conflict among pupils of different religious views. There is great necessity for better trained native ministers, and the failure to provide a school will be attended with fatal consequences. Such a school would find help and sympathy from the churches in the United States, and would promote the spiritual influence of our ministers. Dr. J. M. Reid, of New York, spoke on this point, mentioning with fine effect his first sight of Robert College from the deck of a ship on the Bosphorus, and expressed the wish that some one would do for Mexico the same immortal service. Nothing that man can do for Mexico could compare in importance with this. Brethren D. A. Wilson and H. P. McCormick were present to represent our Southern Board, and Brethren Sloan, Whitaker and Steelman, with their wives, represented the Northern body of Baptists. Some important questions remain to be discussed, and reports to be presented; but whatever comes or goes, the fact remains that a large gathering has been held, representing the strongest bodies of evangelical Christians in the world; and the spirit of the meeting was fairly expressed, at the close of Dr. Reid's address, by the singing of one verse of "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." Mexico. Rev. T. M. Westrup sends the following hopeful statement : "If the young people of twenty and under in this State of Nuevo Leon who, being children of Baptists, have never been christened, in or out of Rome, were counted, people in general would be surprised at the number. It rises away up among the thousands. "Among these outsiders to the covenant,' as some good pedobaptists would call them, there are of course very many with whom religion has little or no influence, which is a sad truth; but no proof could be given that the matter would have been any better if they had been christened. This is largely a matter of parental and other example and teaching, and not at all a question of sacrament or ordinance. We have the comfort of knowing that perhaps a yet larger number of these unchristened ones are influenced and their lives molded by the teaching and instruction we seek to impart. "Here is the value and importance of our mission schools. Some youth of both sexes have found their way into the churches through the schools, some of these have been christened; others not. The Monterey Church received two lads the other Sunday, and a week afterwards another lad and four girls were baptized, and later two more girls asked for the ordinance, and will receive it. All these were of the latter sort, scholars of the mission, and Baptists dyed in the wool." -Rev. W. T. Green, of San Luis Potosi, Mex., writes of some difficulties encountered in the work: "The main difficulty to be encountered here in gathering a congregation is that persons who go to Protestant meetings cannot get employment, and if they already have employment they will be dismissed if it shall be known that they are attending Protestant meetings. This seems to be the general plan, well organized, and prosecuted with determination by the large majority of the people here. Add to this the fact that the masses are intensely superstitious and fanatical in favor of Romanism, and you understand that mission work here will be slow and difficult for a time. I am not discouraged, however, by this condition of things. On the contrary, I rather enjoy the notoriety I have already gained as a representative of the Christianity and the better civilization of the United States of North America. The priests and the fanatical members of these churches may now feel proudly their numbers, their wealth, and their influence over the poor and ignorant masses of the people; but as I walk the streets among them from day to day, or call attention to my mission here, I have the consciousness that I represent a better system of religion and a better system of civilization than they can as yet even form a conception of, and that with the progress of time the order of things which they represent must pass away, while the order of things which I represent must be established," FROM THE GERMAN FIELD. BY REV. J. C. GRIMMELL. Our missionary, Rev. S. Becker, reports a new chapel dedicated at Logan, Ontario. It is a stronghold of Lutheranism, and our feeble church had all it could do to hold its own against the onslaughts of aggressive opposition. It was at this place where, sixteen years ago, the pastors of the Lutheran churches challenged the Baptists to public debate, which in due time took place in the church of the former, lasting two days. Our side was ably represented by the learned Prof. A. Rauschenbusch. sult was negative. There was no desire, thereafter, to draw issues with the representatives of believers' baptism. The re The prophecy expressed at that time, "that the Baptist fanatics (Schwarmer) would not survive five years hence," was not approved by Providence, for the church now worshipping in a new chapel is yet more encouraged to abound in the work of the Lord. May liberal-minded readers pardon an allusion to the fact that there is very little sympathy lost on the part of German Pedobaptists toward us. If they be our brethren in Christ the day is far off "for us to dwell together in unity," at least it appears so to be, judging from the tirades from Lutheran pulpits, and editorial workshops, against the worst fanatics under the sun, which are the Anabaptists, by which term they deign to honor us with mention. They claim to have learned it from Luther, whose strong terms of denunciation are quoted ad nauseam against us at every term. And few American brethren have any idea whatever of the opposition with which our missionaries have to contend from one end of the year to the other-opposition by good Lutherans, orthodox and sealed for heaven, though their lives be spent in the pursuit of sinful usury, or behind the bar of the nefarious beer saloon. Of course there are upright men in the church of which I write, but many a pastor revered as a modern edition of the original Luther, together with his leading church-officers, is wofully given to strong drink. But they are not Roman idolators, and thus are sure of Heaven! There are as many German Lutheran ministers and school-teachers in the United States as there are German Baptists, which is something over thirteen thousand. Though this be a digression, may it start some heart to think, and to pray that by the agency of the Home Mission Society scores of these deluded modern Pharisees may be won to the service of the truth as it is in Jesus, where now conversions of such are few and far between. Rev. F. A. Petereit writes that the meetings at Winnipeg, Manitoba, are better than ever. Thousands of Germans are settling in this great northern territory where, as regards Winnipeg, it was ours for once to be "first on the field." There are stations opening up everywhere and our missionary has all he can do and to spare. Chapels have been dedicated of late at Alpena, Mich., and Coal City, Ill. returns. I cannot forbear here giving you an account of my experience of the last few days. At the request of Mr. Cairns, who had just been stirred by a Macedonian cry from one of his own members, removed to the Potlach country, I started out, and found the family from whom the cry came, learned the names of a number of others of like faith, among whom was that of an ordained minister of some thirty years of age, I believe, but very poor, and compelled to support his family by his daily toil that took him sometimes many miles, and for days and weeks, from his home. The distance was but a little over five miles, but the snow was so deep that it took me nearly a half of the day to Thanks to the generosity of Newark, N. J. reach him. Met a hearty welcome. By MonBaptists, the Second German Church has ob- day night we had found twenty-one Baptists tained the title to their chapel, and Rev. A. | living within a radius of five miles of a central Brandt, our active missionary, is expecting good point, where there is a good school-house that for the present we can have for our meetings. These Baptists are for the most part very poor, having to leave their homes, and work by the day or month, as may be, for their support. It has seldom been my privilege to meet apparently a more intelligent and earnest number of Christian brethren and sisters than here. But such has been their circumstances, being new-comers, they knew not each other except in a limited degree. Some of them had become so disheartened that they had almost resolved that they would sell out their claims for what they could get, and go where they could enjoy under their own vine and fig-tree the worship of the sanctuary. I need not say that that is all changed now. I have agreed to meet with them on the fourth Sabbath in this month, hold with them a series of meetings, and expect to report one more Baptist church organized, with a pastor at home among them. Letters from the interior are filled with accounts of suffering from the severe cold, but many of these letters also bear grateful testimonials of great good received by gifts of wearing apparel, etc., from churches further east. One of our missionaries reports having received two boxes and judiciously distributing the contents among needy neighbors scattered within a radius of twenty miles, applying to himself and family only the most indispensable articles. The condition of many of the frontier settlers is summed up thus: no crops; heavy debts; and only the promises of God to keep warm by. No wonder that the missionary whom God enables to verify some of those promises should find a readier access to hearts otherwise icebound as the solid winter streams. NEWS AND NOTES. Pioneer Work-Glad to Hear the Gospel. Rev. S. E. Stearns, the veteran pioneer missionary of Northern Idaho, writes: Permit me to suggest here, that whatever denomination shall have the sagacity to pre-empt this vast Territory, now sparsely populated, for Jesus, will soon have one swarming like bees in a hive with inhabitants, and, as I said to Bro. Blake years ago when Spokane Falls contained but a few hamlets and Cheney was building her first cabins, a penny now is worth more to us than pounds will be bye and bye. tist meeting house. Hope to build next summer, as it is hard to make headway without a church house. "I organized the Nanum church on the second Sabbath of last January with ten members. This church is eight miles east of Ellensburg in a fine farming region. In February we had a revival and a number of additions. Here we have had a Sunday school most of the summer and fall and have just got a $20 library from the Baptist Publication Society. Here also we need a meeting house. "At Lyons' school house, five miles from the Nanum church and ten from Ellensburg, in a thickly settled farming country, we have an "arm" of the Nanum church. Here also we had a revival and a number of conversions and additions last winter. We have lately organized a Sunday school at this place and procured fifty Sunday school books from Bro. E. G. Wheeler, our Sunday school agent, at Portland. Perhaps at no place on my field is a meeting house more needed than here. Often the people pack the house till the speaker can only get standing room, and sometimes all cannot get in the house. "At Roslyn, which is twenty-eight miles from Ellensburgh, on the N. P. R. R. toward the Sound, I preached my first sermon on the fourth Sunday in January, which was the third sermon ever preached in the place. On the fourth Sabbath in May, I organized the Roslyn Baptist church with seven members. The Northern Pacific Coal Company gave the church three good large lots near the center of town for a meeting house. The church resolved to build, and on the fourth Sabbath in August, just three months from organization, we entered our new house of worship with joy and thanksgiving. This is the first church building in the town, and is worth at least $1,300, including lots. Here I wish to say that much credit is due Deacon John H. Stevens for his great assistance in this church enterprise. We have lately organized a Sunday school and procured from Bro. Wheeler a new library of fifty volumes, beside Testaments, etc., and the school is very flourishing, under Deacon John H. Stevens as superintendent. Roslyn is a little over one year old and has a population of 1,200 people. The N. P. Coal Co. employ 600 men, pay out $40,000 per month, and ship 400 tons of coal per day. "I am the only Baptist minister on the N. P. R. R. from Cheney and Spokane Falls to Puget Sound, a distance of nearly 500 miles. I was on the field eleven months before I saw another Baptist minister, Bro. Teale. "The work accomplished for the Lord Jesus on this new field, has been with many difficulties and small pay. I have received into these churches about fifty members by letter, relation, conversion and baptism. Not a Baptist paper was taken in the county last spring. Now about twenty copies of the Pacific Baptist are taken. Have preached over one hundred sermons, organized three churches and three Sunday schools, procured over 150 Sunday school books, and placed in the hands of these churches over $1,600 worth of church property." Looking After the Wandering Sheep. Rev. W. D. Elwell, of Sedan, Kansas, writes with deepest gratitude of the most prosperous year the church has known since his connection with it. During the past three months he has administered baptism five times, and others are expected to come forward soon. "The work of the quarter has been accomplished at a great expense of travel. For some thirty-five days the meetings continued at the out-station. I went every day, and returned home after the service. Many days I rode, over hills and rocks, from fifteen to twenty miles, looking after young disciples and finding out the lost or wandering sheep, and many a time, as I was returning, the howl of wolves-mostly the prairie wolves, with now and then a gray one-would keep time to the sound of my horses' feet." Hardships in Home Mission Work. Rev. Thomas Dyall, of Beaver, Dak., says: "The farmers in these parts are in very trying circumstances. There has been a failure in the crops the past three years, the people are heavily in debt, and many on the brink of ruin, and it is only with great difficulty I can get them to promise to do anything. Were it not for the conviction that all my past work would be thrown away, I should abandon the field at once, for I feel that I am making too much sacrifice. At the same time the people are appreciative and intelligent, and need the consolations of the Gospel. We have had a number of blizzards of late; the last one was truly awful, many cattle being destroyed and lives lost. In filling my appointment at Spencer I shall have to walk the whole of the way, as it is impossible to get a horse there, because of the enormous drifts of snow. -Bro. J. B. Hutton, of Rushville, Neb., in writing about the severe struggle they have made to secure a house of worship, adds this: "When I was a student I expected to go to Burmah as a missionary, and of course thought of the sacrifices I would have to make. But I want to say that I am making sacrifices now for the cause of Christ as great as any I would have made had I gone. I have actually gone this winter without an overcoat that I might be able to do more toward building our house. The very thought of having a church house of our own, where we can meet regularly, makes this frontier country seem more like our Eastern home to us. No Christian fully appreciates the value and blessing of a church house until he settles on the frontier, where at first there are none. A Great Advance. CALIFORNIA. -One of the most gratifying results in recent missionary work in this State has been at Santa Cruz under the pastorate of Rev. T. M. Merriman, who began his labors there June 10th, 1886. It seemed almost a "forlorn hope." The meeting house" was a mile out of the way, by carriage and on foot, upon a bluff, seventy steps high." It was decided that they must "move, buy or build a house of worship in some suitable place in the city." A fund was started for the purpose. Chaplain Winfield Scott became deeply interested in the matter and when his regiment went from Angel Island, in San Francisco Bay, to spend the summer at Santa Cruz, he arranged to hold preaching services in co-operation with the pastor, in the Pavilion, where the regimental band and a union of city choirs were brought into service. Immense congregations assembled, and contributions amounting to $500 were secured. A lot having been purchased in the city, the house, after a journey of four weeks from the high bluff, was removed to the new location and the work of remodeling was pushed as rapidly as possible. It was dedicated November 20, 1887. Bro. M. says: "From the most meagre house and situation, we have advanced to the best in Santa Cruz. Our old house and lot were prized at $600-our new one is worth $6,000. Our congregation more than trebled, and increasing. Our Sunday school has a corresponding growth. Library from none to 375 volumes, gathered from friends East and the Publication Society, gathered almost wholly at the solicitation of Mrs. Rev. G. M. Merriman. "In the midst of our work, in August, a gentleman, Mr. Calvin Gault, of Branciforte, a large and flourishing town of 2,000 population, just across the River San Lorenzo, from Santa Cruz, offered us a fine lot if we would build on it a chapel and start a Sabbath school. chapel is built, a flourishing Sunday school and a donation of a $10 library from the American Baptist Publication Society, and additional volumes, in all 100. The "This is an important interest, and if properly cherished, will, by God's help, grow into a self-supporting church. "Besides the increased value of our meetinghouse property to thousands of dollars, we have had additions by baptism and letter of some twenty members, and more than as many more who will soon come in." A Great and Needy Field in Oregon. Rev. G. W. Black, of Medford, in Southern Oregon, gives a graphic account of the extent and the religious destitution of the region in which he labors. Embraced in the territory which I occupy are the Counties of Josephine, Jackson, Klamath and Lake, twice the size of Indiana, and on this vast field I am the only minister of our denomination actively engaged in the work, with the exception, probably, of Rev. W. E. Adams, at Lakeview, in the extreme southeast portion of the State. Within this territory are the following important towns: Grant's Pass, the county site of Josephine County; Medford, Jacksonville, the county site of Jackson County; Ashland a manufacturing center; Linkville the county site of Klamath County; and Lakeview the county site of Lake County. Ashland contains a population of 1,700; Jacksonville contains a population of 800 or 900, and Medford has a population of 1,000, and Grant's Pass has a population of about the same, while Klamath County, with a population of fully 7,000, and |