The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1872-05-29

structed IN relation to it's nature and progress.
The monthly concert, when properly con-
Quoted, not only brings out all the interesting
facts connected with its progress, but, at the
same time, stimulates the prayers and inter-
cessions of Gods people, and thus imparts life
and power to the undertaking. Nearly akin
to this, and scarcely of less value, is the
circulation of the Missionary among our
people. Whilst the price at which it is fur
nshed is almost nominal, it nevertheless fur
nishes abundant information, in relation, not
only to our own work, but great deal in re.
lation to the missionary work at large.
PROVISION FOR MR.. INsLEE's FAMILY.
It will be remembered that the Committee
were instructed by the last Assembly, to
make the effort, mainly through the agency of
the women of the church, to raise $4,000 for
the benefit of Mr.. Iuslee's family A call
was issued accordingly, and most nohly have
they responded to it, the actual amount raised
being something more,-$6,50O instead of
$4,000. Could more refreshing illustration
be asked of the true life and spirit which
dwell in the heart of our beloved church
What might not the women of the church do
in the great work of evangellzng the heather
nations of the earth, if their attention was
aroused, and their sympathies properly awak-
ened in its behalf The local committee APP
pointed by the Assembly to receive and in
vest the funds raised for Mrs. Inslee and
family, will make their report, and furnish all
additional information that will be desired IN
relation to the matter.
SURVEY OF THE MISSIONARY WORK.
In taking general survey of the missionary
work under the care of the church, it should
be borne in mind, that so far as the great and
remote fields of missionary labour are con
cerned, we are yet but in the incipient and
preliminary stages of the work. Our pioneer
missionaries felt laudable ambition not to
build on other mems foundations. They pre-
ferred to enter into new and untried fields,
and Law the foundations of their own work.
Much preparatory labour, therefore, had to
be done. New languages had to be acquired;
the character and habits of the people, as we'll
as their superstitious creeds and forms of false
religion had to be studied; religious truth
had to be carefully instilled into the minds of
the people, and various other kinds of pre-
paratory work had to be done, before there
could be any reasonable expectation of great
results in the way of the ingathering of souls
into the fold of Christ. Notwithstanding all
these hindering causes, however, there is not
one of our missions, as will be seen in the
progress of the report, that is not enjoying
unequivocal tokens of the divine favour; and
some of them have been favored far beyond
what could reasonably have been expected
when they were first established.
The readers of the Missionary have been
kept so fully informed in relation to the con-
d;tion and progress of the different missions,
that we propose now only to give very brief
sketch of them.
INDIAN MISSIONS.
Our labors extended to the Choctaws and
Chickasaws, who are substantially the same
people, to the Cherokees and to the Greeks.
Among the Choctaws there are three ordained
missionaries, one of whom is native, and one
native licentiate, besides number of assistant
missionaries Among the Creeks there is one
ordained minister, who is native of the
country; and among the Cherokees there are
two ordained ministers, one of whom is a ma
tive Cherokee mall these fields, but especially
among the Choctaws, the missionary force is
entirely inadequate to the wants of the Cher
okees that were established there in former
years; and the Committee, although they
have used all possible diligence, have not been
able to find men in sufficient numbers to meet
the wants of those churches, and many of them
therefore are in languisbing condition. This
dearth of missionary laborers is to be ascribed
to several causes. In part, to the scarcity of
ministers among ourselves, the churches in the
Choctaw country being very much in the same
condition of our own; in part, to the fact
that too little attention was given to train
ing natives for the ministry in the early pc
RODS of the missionary work: and partly to
the fact that these churches have never been
trained, as they should have been to indepen-
dent self-support. Notwithstanding these
difficulties and sdiseQpragements, however, the
gospel has beer king steady progress wher-
ever it has been preached, and there is abun-
dant cause for gratitude to Almighty God for
the many mercies he is bestowing upon that
people. No statistical information has reached
the Office as yet, as to the number of commu-
nicants now embraced in these churches. The
number reported last year was 904, of whom
something more than 200 were received during
the year.
Spencer Academy.-Mention was made in
the last Annual Report of the intention of the
Committee to resume Spencer Academy,
and of the conditions upon which it was to be
conducted. Rev. j. FL. Cotton was appointed
to superintend it, and removed to that place
last spring for this purpose He has not been
able as yet to get suitable and permanent as
sistants, and thus far has been compelled to
rely upon temporary help. Mr.. NJ. G. Askill, of
North Carolina, as mentioned above, was APP
pointed teacher to that school last winter, and
would have been on the ground before this,
if he had not been prevented by severe sick
ness. 1t is expected that another teacher will
be secured in the course of few months, and
the institution be put upon more solid fOun-
dation during the summer. The present num-
Der of pupils is thirty-two.
ITALIAN MISSION.
Miss RonzOne, after spending her summer
vacation with her friends in this country, re-
turned to her work in Italy in the autumn.
In consequence of the removal of the school
with which she had been connected, from
Bordigliera to st. Reno she preferred to open
day-school at Milan, her native place, where
she thought she could be more useful than at
ST. Reno. The 8chol had just been opened
at the date of our latest intelligence.
MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES OF CO.
LoMBIA.
Mr.. Pratt and family have enjoyed good
health during the year. He has carried on
his varied labOrs of preaching, visiting from
house to house, circulating religious books
and tracts, and occasionally making mission
airy tours into the surrounding country.
The Roman priesthood have been stirred up
to more violent opposition than they have
ever manifested before, thus giving pretty
sure proof that the instructions that have
been given are not without influence upon the