The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-05-15

METHODIST UNION IN JAPAN
Bishop Fowler, of the NJ: e. Church,
and Bishop Wilson, of the M. e.
Church, South, were in Japan at the
same time. A meeting was held IN
which these two Bishops were present
and steps were taken to form a Japan
ese Methodist Church. Bishop Fow'
ler SAYS: ''It was unanimously
agreed to appoint q committee of three
-one from the Methodist Episcopal
Church, one from the Methodist Epls'
copal Church, South, and one from
the Canada Methodist Church these
three to appoint two natives from any
where; these five to constitute Com
mittee on Discipline. They were dl'
rected TO form a Constitution, which
should protect the doctrines, the Gen,
eral Rules and the Episcopacy, ano
then adapt the system around these
factors to the needs of Japan. The re;
suit of their work is to be submitted
to the various missions, aud then Dy
them to the Boards at home and the
General Conferences of the interested
Churches"
Most criminals are young. 1t IS sell
dom that grave crime, provided it be
the first. is committed after the age OF
80. A careful statistician has proved
that of the entire male population OF
England and Wales the largest pro-
portion of criminals is found to be be-
tween the ages Of 90 and 25. Five
times as many crimes are committed
in the five years between these limits
as in the ten years between the ages OF
80 and 60. Dividing the whole popu-
alton into groups of those from ~,
wears to Is. from Is to 90, from 20 to 70,
| from 25 to 80, from 80 to AZ, from 40 to
50, and from so to 60, it is found that
from the age of 90 thetendency to CRIME me-
decreases at each successive term 50
per cent. in the case of women, and "a
per cent. in the case of men.
Marshall Booth, in reviewing his
forces at Chicago, said that within
| twelve years 100000 men and W men
have been rescued from the slums and
transformed into self-supportlng, So
ber, Christian citizens by its work.
He is prepared to establish at once IN
London ten more Rescue Homes, for
300 girls (which will enable the Army,
by the help of God, to rescue at least
another thousand a year,, and also 10
establish ten food and shelter depots,
six for women and children only, and
four for men. with a capacity 1or i,UoO
beds per night for women, and sou tor
men and 200, 600 meals per week, or al
the rate of SIT 800 beds and lO,4OO, ,o0o
meals per annum. He appeals Tor
S75 900 to meet the expense of fitting
| up and furnishing the said twenty
buildings.
Our Growth and Strength.
Our Book Editor, DR.. W. P. Harrl-
son, has carefully compiled the statls-
tics of our Church, together with the
comparative increase during the past
ecclesiastical year, and gives the hg-
ures in last weeks Nashville Advocdte.
Number of travelling preachers, A.
6S4-increase, 154; local preachers, o.
3O9-ipcrease, III; white members, H.
1o3, 40S-increase, 81, 753 colored mem
bers, G44-decrcase, 105; Indian men,
bers, 4,95S-decrease, 2SS total preacn-
ers and members, LAC, 093-net IN,
crease, 3o,537; infant baptisms, 81, l52
decrease, l,5S1 adult baptisms, 53,-
3G3-- decrease, $3.50; collected Tor
Church Extension, Sol, ,34l .5S.ln-
crease, S4, ,27S. .OS for Conference Clalm-
ants. Sl16,7l3.G increase, S14 4,59l.47
for Foreign Missions, S225, ,S52. l6-ln-
crease, Sc. .207; for Domestic Missions;
SlO4 4.473.3l-increase, So, ,046.75; total
for Foreign and Domestic Missions,
sooo .o5 a7-totaI increase. SIS, ,253. So.