Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-07-06

cty.of New York. and the general confer
ence of 1920 approved of it, adopted it,
and recommended that each annual confer
ence should form society auxiliary to it..
From its organization to the present it
has moved slowly, vet for the most part
steadily onward. The first year of its
existence it received into its treasury
1928. 04. In 1881, the year entered the
conference, its receipts were SO $50. 81 /;
e last year 1857 .37l.14. The grand
total of its receipts, $15, sos, ,253.07.
On the 9th of October. 1882, the first
American Methodist missionary, Melville
3. Cox of the Maine conference, left the
shores of his native land to establish a
mission in Liberia on the coast of Africa.
We ar. told that as the time of his depar
ture drew near his mother threw her arms
around his neck. and while her warm tears
were falling upon his face, exclaimed, 20
Melville, how can give you upP' Turn
ing his implorng eyes towards Africa, he
exclaimed, 20 Africa, how can give the
upP' When about to set sail II friend ask
ed him, "Mr. Cox if you should die in
Africa, what would you have written on
your tombstunep" His immediate reply
as-....hough thousand missionaries fall.
yet let not Africa be given up In less
than five short months after reaching
Africa Mr. Cox fell; gloriou.y fell. But
Africa was not given up. She shall be re-
deemed, and her sable sons shall shine as
polished jewels in the Redeemer's crown
We cannot stop to trace the history of
the missions established since this period !;
all we have time to do is simply to say, we
have prosperous missions in Africa, South
merica, China. Germany and Switzerland,
Scandinavia, India, Bulgaria and Turkey.
Italy, Mexico and Japan, manned by 2l1
American missionaries, 1886 local preach
ers and teachers, and a membership of
35,432. In addition to these we have
numerous missions among the foreign
population OF our own country. So vast is
our work that upon our mission fields the
sun never sets, and our bishops in visiting
them literally 90 round the world.
In carrying forward our missionary work
the woman's foreign missionary society,
organized in Boston, March %, 1869, has
been IL powerful auxiliary. The first year
the devoted women who organized this
society raised $4, 546 sc. From that time to
the present there has been steady in
crease of its funds, so that the last year
they raised $76, ,27643, a grand total OF
$500, 9S2 81 since its organization; and at
their last annual meeting, relying on God
for their success, they have appropriated
Sill, ,44l,79. They have sent young wo.
men rs missionaries to India, China,
Japan, Mexico. South America and Africa.
They publish a paper, The HeaLhen Wo-
nuns Friend, which puts in the shade
anything the parent society has ever pub
lished, which has a circulation of l5,5 500
| copies. Success TO these noble women and
the cause in which they are engaged.
Closely connected with our missionary
work is our church extension society. or
ganized in 1864. the object of which is
to build and assist in building churches
among the sparse population on our west
ern frontier and in the southern portion of
our work. 1t has also by donations and
loans saved many embarrassed churches
that must otherwise been lost. Previous
to this time but little had been done in this
department of our work Up to January
last the board had collected and disbursed
81 .677, 900. The loan fund had increased
to 100000. This society Is doing grand
work its influence Is extending and it is
acquiring strong hold upon the heart o.
our people. Bro McCabe says he will bt
satisfied with nothing less than 10 churches
every week for the year 1881, or 52(
churches worth $S0O,000, seating l4O,00t
people.
Another important department Of oul
work is our Sunday school work. Th
early enlisted the attention of our people
We are told that Bishop Asbury as early
rs 1886 founded u Sunday school in Vir
ginia, That previous to this there hat
been occasional Sunday instruction giver
to the children is probable. But it is be
ieved that his school was the first tina
took organic form, lived and grew. Hence
the honor of founding the American Sun
day school system belongs to our church
despite the unwilingness of other demon
nations to acknowledge its Methodisti'
origin. But it was of slow growth, ant
not till 1927 was the Sunday school unioi
of the NJ. f. church organized. Afte
some nine years this organization declined
and was finally abandoned, and reorganiz
ed in lS4O by the general conference, and ,
Sunday school editor appointed in 1874
In 1881, tiftJ years ago, we had in Yer
mont but few Sunday schools, and wher
we did have them they were small ant
comparatively netficieDt,-without the re
auisile helps for teachers or scholars; with
out Sunday school literature; nd GU
schools, except in large places, were most
~ suspended during the winter. But sine
this date the Sunday school has passed ii
infancy. thrown off its swadling bands, an
grown to the maturity of manhood, and W
} believe is doing more for the moral trans
+ L.. ha h,
agency aside from the preaching of tn
gospel. We have now in our churc
f 20, 754 Sunday schools, 2l2,654 Off an
} teachers. 1,793 1853 officers and scholar:
| 1863 different books of the Sunday schoo
, library from which to select for our schools
) seven different periodicals in English an
German, with circulation of 572,25
t copies, either monthly, semi monthly o
weekly, aggregating yearly l6,O73,3O
3 copies.
Yet great and grand as is this institution
f and Notwithstanding the good it is doing
we cannot forbear to express our convit
, tion that in too many instances it Is usurE
t lag place it cannot fill. We wish TO or
e lerour most solemn protest against its tai
ing the place of the Sabbath afternoonse
mon. The preaching of the gospel by me
called of God to the office and work of tn
3 ministry. is Gods great agency in tn
Q salvation of men Under the old dispeI
= sation God sat watchman upon the wall
P who were to cry aloud and spare not
n lift up their voice like trumpet and sho'
0 the people their transgressons-they wei
. to receive the word from His mouth an
l., warn them from Him. So under the ne'
$ dispensaton He has called men Of lib
}, passions with ourselves, and sent them OF
n to preach and 1t has pleased Him bystf
: foolishness of preaching to save them tn;
. believe.
/, There are but few teachers in our SUI
d day schools that are rs well qualife
|. to teach the doctrines of the Bible and Ii
Il science of salvation as is the minister.
O We believe, as did our sainted Bisho
G James, that in every considerable tow
Il there should be three sermons preache
y in our churches, every Sabbath, ,as there ~
J. always more or less who cannot attend tl
h morning service, but can attend the afte
noon; and there is always class who. Ill
If Nlcodemus, will 60 by night 10 hear IN
e word of the Lord who will not go by da,
y But some will say that by so muc
It preaching the people will become gospe