Morning journal and courier., 1881-05-20

It is frequently questioned whether the American Board of Foreign Missions is worth all it costs, but those who doubt do not al- ways give the Board credit for what it accomplishes. According to the report for 1880, the missionary force employed by the Board and occupying 719 stations and out stations in India, Ceylon, Turkey, Africa China, Japan, the Sandwich Islands, Micro nesia, Spain, Austria, Mexico and among the Indians of North America consists of 397 missionaries from the United States and l. 427 natives. The latter are pastors. preach CTS rnd catechists. Leaving aside the Sand wich Islands, 273 churches have 8 member ship of IT ,OOO. The educational work of the 27,OO0 pupils special schools of higher grade for girls, with 300 pupils; and twen- ty-nine colleges, seminaries and training. classes for young men, with 200 students. Not less than $500 900 is wanted to carry on the regular work of the Board, of which the churches are asked to give $430,OOO.
 The revised translation of the New Testa- ment will be issued by authority today in this country and England. It has been ten years in preparation; eminent scholars and divines in both countries have been engaged in the work, and every change from the hitherto received version has been matureIy consider ed and reconsidered by committees and by the whole body of revisers in England and afterward in the United States. The objects proposed in the revision were the omission of words or passages which had found their way into the text on insufficient authority, the correction of erroneous translations, and the substitution of words now in use and of familiar meaning for words and expressions which have become obsolete since the author ized version was made, or have acquired meaning different from that which they then had The number of changes of all kinds is considerable, but they seldom change mate- rially the meaning of the text. The author ized edition of the new version is printed in England, and 35O, ,OoO copies, it is said, have been for some time in this country awaiting the day fixed for publication.
 H. P. Harrington, of New Bedford, writes to the Boston Aduertiser 8 strong and manly letter concerning the mistake made by the Massachusetts school authorities in receiving with contemptuous indifference the report of the Norfolk county examinations. These ex- aminations were singularly practical and sim ple and showed that the children of this rich region of Massachusetts, who were commit ting to memory, day after day, rules. de6ni- tions, technical terms and isolated facts, were incapable upon studded demand of writing a plain composition short letter, or of mak- ing use of their arithmetical rules Instead of frankly confessing the mistakes of the old hidebound system and going to work to up- root it, the school authorities calmly disre- garded the report. MT. Harrington's state ment of the condition of the schools is ap plicable to other States than Massachusetts. ''It has long been known," he says, "by every sharp-sighted observer in what deep ruts of traditional routine a large per cent.of rural schools and not few of more pre- tentious class have been prosecuting, undis-