Morning journal and courier., 1884-10-10
GoSPEL UNION WORK.

John c. Collins Reports of the Prog
 ress in New HaVen-Large Numbers
 of Children Interested-How They
 Are Taught to be Savfng-OmcerS
 EIected-The Aim Of the Society.
 The annual meeting of the Gospel Union was held last evening in English Hall, and eight gentlemen were present. Hiram Camp, the venerable president of the society, was in the chair John c. Collins submitted his annual report. It showed that in the eight years of the existence of the society 800 children have been connected with it. In the Sunday school last yeaR there were 200 children. One of the institutions is a say ings bank, where the children deposit small sums of money and are taught to save their pennies The bank has handled $737 9S since it's organization and $500 has been talk en out. The various departments of the work are the free Sunday evening services, the Sunday school for children not connected with any other Sunday school, the free read ing rooms for young men, the Gospel Union workers meeting every Wednesday evening" the neighborhood prayer meetings, of which eight were sustained during the past year, visitation among families in any way con-
 
 court and jail.
 The attendance at the Sunday night meet ings during the past year has been smaller than formerly, owing to the counter attrac- tions furnished by the Good Samaritans and the Salvation Army. It was admitted that those organizations were doing good, but their sensational methods were criticised. MT. Collihs said he would endeayor by ask ing people to come and by furnishing new 4<Dr Sunday evenings. A portion of MT. Collins report was as follows:
 F'The efforts of the Gospel Union are not di- rected for the benefit of any particular class. The work differs from that which is ordinarily referred to as city missionary work in that the measures are not adapted wholly to the pauper and outcast classes. No temporal or charitable assistance whatever is given by the society. Its religious work is solely among the unconverted without re- l gard to class or moral condition. The meth ods used, however, are such that the very poorest and most abandoned find in them an open door to the blessed privileges of the gospel equally with those of more correct lives and better temporal circumstances. It would be, in my judgment, serious mistake to limit, in a city like that of New Haven, the work of the Gospel Union to the very lowest and most abject, socially and morally, of the people. A most important part of the work of the society is endeavoring to win to Christ the middle class of self-respecting more or less moral people who are not Chris tians, and not being under religious inf1uen- ces are surely drifting downwards as the years pass on. There many of this class where there is one of the former. I think it wise arrangement, however, that we are able to adapt our work to both classes"
 The report of the treasurer, A. E. Row land, showed that the total receipts for the year had been $3, ,573 .S6, of which $500 was borrowed at the beginning of the year to meet deficiency of $203.2 20. The running expenses were $3, ,329.02. The balance in the treasury at present is S41.64 Of the re- ceipts s, ,O49 came from individuals and the balance from churches and collections It is hoped by cutting down expenses to make good the deficit this year.
 The mortuary record embraced the names of R. s. Fellowes, Mrs. Leonard Bradley and George P. Rockwell.
 Officers were reelected as follows: Presi- dent, Hiram Camp; secretary, E. E. Aiken; treasurer, A. E. Rowland The name of F. w. Benedict was added to the directors, the others being E. B. Bowditch, Rev Dr. New man Smyth, Rev. Dr. John E. Todd, Rev. Professor & E. Harris, P. N. Welch, Charles E. Graves, Thomas R. Trowbridge, jr.
 A committee on reading rooms was chosen as follows: Professor H.. w. Farnam, Will bur F. Day, John O. Collins, Joseph Porter, George L. Fox.