Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-09-11
General View of the Presbyterian Church.
Old school, Ending May, 1875
Ameriean Board of ,II-.lon..

American Board OF Missions.
The Forty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the
American Board Of Missions commenced in De-
trOit on the 9Th. We present the following
synopsis fthe
REPORT on MISSIONS
From the general view Of the Missions OF the
Foreign Department ofthe report, we learn that
the Missionaries at the Gaboon, West Africa,
have not yet been able to reach the mountain
Gus interior, and are seriosly annoyed by the
French, who have taken possession of the river,
and are trading there for apprentices which
is only another name for slaves.
In the Zulu Mission, South Africa, steady
progress is reported l. has the benefit of a fine
climate, and the recent explorations of DIS
Livingstone and Barth have deePened the in
terest felt in it
In Greece, Dr. King IS still laboring, as lie
has for 30 years, in enriching the literature of
she modern Greeks with the best religious
thoughts in the English language, and in cir
eulating the Scriptures.
The report next notices the Missions among
the Armenians, Bulgarians and Turks
The design of these missions, as was early
stated, has ever been first, s'tO revive the know
ledge and spirit Of the gospel among the On-
entail Churches; and, secondly, by this means
to operate upon the Mohammedans. The diff
terent races, therefore, when occupying the
same territory, do not need distinct aud sepa-
rate missions. The work was begun among the
Armenans, but its sphere IS gradually extend
ing The leading object in all religions refoT-
nations Is, 10 revive the spirit of the gospel,
which is love, benevOlence and It is found that
our young churches must have an object for
their benevolence beyond themselves and their
own community, for which to pray and labor, if
we would succeed in elevating them 10 the point
Of self-labor, if VIC would succeed in elevating
them to the point Of self-reliance and selfsup-
port; that we cannot fully succeed among the
Amenians, without interesting them IN the
Bulgarians, nor with either without interesting
both in the spiritual renovation Of al the inter-
mingled and contiguous races.
\ great work is therefore upon our hands
and our English brethren, with Christian gen
erosity and kindness, aid Us by their prayers
and pecuuiary means North and South of the
Taurus, and around the head waJeTs VI the IA
pirates and Tgris, and beyond the Lord is grant
ing US a gracious harvest. An inTOrd Is now
being made, also, into the regions Of European
Turkey South Of the Balkan and there, among
the Bulgarians, we grapple once more with the
errors and enmiiy Of the Greek Church. In the
great field now under review, the B05rI has
more than seventy laboIers, male and female, /
from our own country, and a hundred native
helpers, third Of whom are either ordained or
licensed preachers of the gospel. Somewhat
more than thirty chuTces have been organized I
with nearly 4 thousand members and two
hundred and twenty-five Of these were received |
on profession the past year. There are also /
common schools for the children Of the Church /.
and for others, and schools Of the prophets and |
the press is worked on an extended scale, hav- |
ing printed I40OU, 900 Of pages the past year |
Verify, what hath God wrought Anl how he l
calls on his people not to delay restoring the /
gospel to the lands Of the Bible
In Syria, among the Arabs, progress is re-
ported. The Arabic translation Of the Bible |
which DR.. Eli Smith commenced, is being com
Pleted by DR.. Van Dyek.
The mission in Assyria, the ancient seat Of
the great Chaldean empire, with its central sta
tons at Mozul and Diarbekir, is doing an i'm
portant work in the heart of Asia, and has cause |
for encouragement
The HISTORIAN mission in the mountains and /
on the plains of Persia, has twenty-five out Sta
tons, forty native preachers, and fifty-three
native helpers. The Persian government is
less hostile than hitherto, but the Roman Jes- /
uites are doing all they can to embaras the mis-
sionaries.
The Mahratta mission in Western India has .
suffered some from the agitation of the rebel
lion in the North, though there was an out
break at only one of its stations. It is divided |
into eleven districts, one of which contain half .
a million of people. There are four missiOna-
ries, two native pastors, three lieentiates, ina
Iive) and forty native helpers.
The missions in Eastern India were those
about which there was SO much debate few
years ago. The Prudential Committee were not
willing to sustain schools for teaching the na-
tives the English language, and those schools
were suspended.
The war at Canton nearly suspended the op-
Grafton of the Chinese mission for time. One
convert who united with the Church was obliged
10 fee for his life from the Chinese authorities.
It is hoped that the treaty viii, as reputed, open
the way for the Gospel 'into that world Of Pa
gan souls"
Passing to the Sandwich Islands, the report
says;
Here we behold upwards of twenty well edu
,atsd ministers of the Gospel, generally near or
beyond the meridian of life, cheerfully laboring
among more than a score of churches and some
twenty-five thousand native church members.
During the past year they have rejoiced over
nearly thousand accessions TO the church,
though they have had little of what may be call
I'd a revival Of religion. An explanatory state
nent of some importance in the Report may
perhaps be read to the Board duriDg the present
meeting. a moral reaction, of a painful nature, :
has been expected at the Islands for several
Tears. There may be signs Of It in events de-
icribed on the Island Of Oahu. Il Is twenty =
fears since that wonderful awakening occurred, /
which brought fifth part Of the inhabitants in
o the church Of Christ. How remarkable that 7
here has been so little Of revulsion More than I
800 common schools are supported by the gov
'rnment. So is the Seminary at Latainaluna, 4
With Its LOG pupils and its 500 graduates. So
5 the Royal School, with its forty sons of
hief men. Two of the high schools, contain
ng 100 pupils, are sustained by the Board; and
10, for the present, waiting for its endowment,
5 the Oahu College. The mission to the Mar
Iuesas Islands, originated by the Hawaiian
hurches, is still supported by them, and is pros
'erous.