Morning journal and courier., 1883-09-20
Twelfth Annual.

Pennington Valley Congregational Conference.
 The twelfth annual meeting of the Farm ington Valley conference was held in the Congregational church, Canton Center, on Tuesday, September IS, day and evening. The day wasf fine, the attendance fair, the hospi- tality of the entertaining church was large ly taxed and the wants of all corners were boun- tifully met
 The report on fellowship and work set forth that the prayer meetings of churches of the conference needed considerable culture and a much larger attendance to be truly creditable to the churches. About twenty five persons have been added to the churches by profession during the year. About $3, 900 was eontribut ed by all the parishes in aid of outside church work. Four hundred and thirty dollars was given by the Sunday schools for benevolent purposes One Sun day school is reported as giving something every Sunday, but not not one cert of it ever went for an outside good object. The money raised was always expended for books for itself, there being about as much benevolence in it as in a child buying with his own money jack knife for himself. The average attendance of the Sunday schools is 800. The interest in the uniform lessons is waning somewhat. Church benevolence is on the increase The modes of raising money for benevolent purposes are various. In two or three parishes it is raised by en- velope pledges. in some by collectors, and some by contribution boxes. One important church raises all it's home expenses by sub scription pledges, it's pews being free. But generally the pews are annually sold to the l~g l. the interest of temperance. In several towns union temperance meetings are held monthly. The temperance capital seems to be Plainville, the homo of Mrs. Dr. Moody, who is an interesting temperance speaker and an influential Christian worker.
 The conference sermon was delivered by Rev. N. c. Wood, the esteemed pastor of the Congregational church of Burlington. The condition and traits of the Congregational denomination were set forth by Rev. A. Hall, ofPlainvin and Rev. G. H. Cate, of Collinsville. MT. Halls paper was poignant and entertaining. This gentleman is one of the cleverest writers and speakers in the conference. He says the sharpest and most sarcastic of things in the blandist and sober est way. The Rev. c. l.. Tomblen, of Sims bury and Rev. J. B. Cleveland, of Granby, spoke on the question: ''Shall the mid-week prayer meeting be discontinued?" They fa- vored @ continuance and so did all others present who took part in the discussion. But it was shown that the mid-week prayer meet ing in the great majority of the Congrega- tional churches needs good deal of pray ing for" Usually 1t is made up of the few. The great majority of church members do not make the slightest effort to subserve their spiritual interest in the use of the pray CT meeting. Of the good Iaymen present and who spoke and who are each live pray ing meeting in theis respective parishes, are Chamberlain of Unionville and Goodwin. of Collinsville.
 Sept. 19. A MEMBER or THE CONFERENCE.
 List of Patents.
 Issued from the United States Patent once for the
 week ending September Is, ,N2ssS, for the State of