The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-01-28

1he Missionary Herald for January, 1866
IN Its annual survey of its missions, makes a
comparison Of the additions to the churches
in this country and to those under its care,
which shows tavorably for the latter. saws
According to the statistics of the Congre.
gatIonal churches throughout the land, pub
lished in the Congregational Quarteriy for
January, 1865, the additions by profession,
for the year then last reported, would average
but about three and one-quarter TO each
church, and four and three quarters to each
minister engaged in the pastoral work k'-in-
Guiding stated supplies but leaving out of the
account seven hundred and fifty three sother
ministers. The published statistics of the
New School Presbyterian Church of 1865
make the additions by profession for the year
four and one-h half to each church, and not
quite four to each minister In the Old
School Presbyterian Church they were frac-
ton over four to each church. and something
more than four and half 20 each minister.
But in the Missions they were about FIVE and
two thirds to each church. and five to each
minister, reckoning in the sixty native pastors.
and all the ordained persons connected with
missions, including not far from twenty laid
aside by illness, or for other reasons absent
from the mission fields.
Yet more remarkable, and singulary in
u N. a
series of years, between the results in the
missions and in connection with Congrtga.
tonal churches in Massachusetts. Means are
not at hand for readily making this comparison
more general with the churches in the United
States. Previous TO 1870 the Annual Reports
OF the board DO no. state, regularly. the nnm-
ber OF additions to the churches The repor,
ot 1899 gives the number Of churches inl the
missions as So, with 7.3Il members. There
were then. in MASSACHUSETTS, 375 Evangelical
Congregational Churches, with a membership
OF 52.s23. During the next twenty five wears,
as nearly as can be gathered from the pub.
lished statistics, the additions by profession
were. IN the missions, 55,480, and to the
Congregational churches in Massachusetts,,
oo,if6- The average numoer Of churches Tor
the whole time was, in the missions, less than
lO5-in the Congregational churches, 452
and the average yearly number of additions to
each church. III the missions, a fraction more
than 2i-in Massachusetts, not quite 5. The
average number of pastors and stated Supplies
IN Massachusetts. omitting all supplies not
stated, and all 'other ministers was, for
the twenty five years, about 405, and the
annual number Of additions to each of these
ministers something over FIVE and one half.
But in the missions, the average number of
ordained laborers. Including all absent and
all engaged IN other than pastoral, or directly
ministerial work. bat omitting. now. native
pastors, who were few most of the time. was
a fraction over $50, and the number ofannual
additions to each, nearly Is. Surely the
Lords name should be praised in view off
such comparative success given TO the efforts
CT his servants among tne heathen. II should |
perhaps be stated. in fairness, that large
number ofthe additions to the mission churches |
lover $4,000, were during the first two of the |
years brought to- yiew-mosty fruits of the |
great revival at the Sandwich Islands: but. on |
the other hand, it is to be remembered also. /
that the period spoken of embraces several |
seasons OF special revival in Massachusetts, /