St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-06-17

lee, after which the Memorial from the
Caledonia Conference was referred to
a special committee, consisting of DIR.
A. Stevens, Prof. Henry Fairbanks and
| DR.. G. B. Stafford. The treasurer of the
Fairbanks fund for disabled ministers
reported. He disbursed the past year
81 ,075, to ten beneficiaries, the incl
dental expenses were about 81, and
S971.75 remain in the treasury. The
convention voted to approve the action
of the National Council with reference
to the publication of the Year Book,
and to bear their part of the expense.
The Domestic Missionary Society
then held its annual meeting, president
| Franklin Fairbanks in the chair. The
audience first listened to full and in
teresting report from Rev. c. 5. Smith,
secretary.
In the beginning, the report cOngrat-
ulated the society on ''meeting in Il
town which has a larger number of our
denomination than any other town in
the state, and where the people have
no need of any more churches and in
a community which contributed gen.
erously toward aiding feeble churches.
The report pays tribute to the mem
DRY of one of the society's members,
lately deceased, Rev. j. c. Edgar of
HubbardtOn. The society began the
year with balance of Sl037 90 in the
treasury receipts during the year were
-. 5;}5.75, which is S7l0.S9 less than
was received from the same sources
last year; disbursements, S9,245.36
balance in treasury, 81 ,;2S.:S; con-
tributions sent by the society out of the
state, S3,779.l2; whole amount given
i'll the state, for both state and nation
al work, during the year, Sl3,3l4.S7-
more than given last year by 81 ,5ll &c;
the gain, however, has been entirely
due to lcgacics the gifts from the liv-
ing have been S6I6.50 less than report
ed year ago. Fifty-three laborers
have been sowing the good seed III
tifty-One fields no powerful revivals
have been experienced, but the work
has been blessed. One hundred and
six persons have been hopefully con-
verified. Total additions to churches,
90; dismissals, % two pastors have
been settled and three dismissed; II
missionaries have left the field; aver
age service of these u only two and
three-fOurths years average member
ship of missionary churches b, aver
age congregations 20, average in Sun
day schools II. One church, ut Straf-
ford, has become sclf-supporting, and
| two, WOlcOtt and st. JOhnsbury LIST,
have asked for smaller sums, and sew
cral others have intimatcd that they
will do so as soon as they can secure
permanent ministers; the Bridgcwater
church has completed Il new building,
and that i'll Tunbridgc made extensive
repairs The fields for itinerant work
are fewer than usual, as several
churches have secured permanent
preachers Brunswick and Maidstone
churches are looking up, as is also the
church at No. Hydepark.
The report acknowledges the obliga
lions of the society to the American
Home Missionary Society and to the
whole country; the work is broad and
far-rcaching. and calls for earnest, per
Sevcring effort; it admits of no delay.
An earnest appeal was made in behalf
of the New West, where there is so
much need of thorough work for Christ.
The foreign missionary work also was
set forth i'll the repOrt-the part that
Vermont ought to take in it, and the
blessings that will result from an act
i've participation. The salaries of
missionaries in this state were referred
tO-which, i'll comparison with those
paid in other states, are much too
small, and should he increased. An
appeal was made to the women of the
state, that, while so earnestly engaged
i'll the foreign work, they might not
forget the home missionary work and
it was suggested that they become aux
iliary to the society and labor with it.
The report was most excellent one
IA faithful presentation of the work
of the society, and the methods neces-
sary for successfully carrying it out.
In closing, the report commended the
aims and objects of the society anew
to the consideration of the Christian
men and women of the state.
At the close of Mr.. Smiths report
Rev E. J. Ranslow of Wells River adj
dressed the meeting. He thought there
was nothing in the sccrctary's report
to make any one proud. 1t was sui
cidal policy for the church to spend all
her resources at home and leave the
feeble churches to Starvc. For Il min
lister to take a home missionary church
required earnest conservation and i'm
plicit faith. These feeble churches
need sympathy from their stronger
brethren. There was money enough
in the churches, and it is pity the
secretary should he cramped for funds
Some people can work hard for that
which is a great way off-hc would not
belittle the foreign workout here is
work at our feet. Christians generally
are not awake to the stress of the Oc-
casiOn. The speaker closed with Il
tribute to woman's work, and rebuke
to Congregationalists as body for be-
ing so polite and modest as to build up
other denominations at the expense of
their own.
Rev. r. b. Thurston of Saybrook,
Conn, was the next speaker. He
spoke of the home missionary work as
a national work, not to be abandoned
until other New Englands stretch
across the continent to the Pacific
4