Morning journal and courier., 1891-05-28


 vention Something Wrong in
 Publication Department - Friends
 of Dr. Briggs Lobbying With Dele-
 gates.
 DETROIT, Mich, May 27.-That foreign missions was to have been the subject of this mornings deliberations of the Presby- terian assembly was apparent by the large display of maps showing the various mis- sion fields of the church.
 In the hour before the meeting the ab sorbing theme of conversation was the reports of the committees that had investi- gated the affairs of the board of publica- tion, and there seemed demand that as the subject had taken the serious phase of open charges of islander and fraud, no whitewashing report be adopted.
 Tue friends of the board wanted the matter referred to committee for har- monys sake, but the members of the board demanded investigation, saying their ac- counts were all straights, and they could prove it to the confusion of their enemies.
 When the session opened it was decided to change the order of things so as to de- fer the reports of the publication board until to morrow.
 An abstract of the report of Foreign missions says:
 An unusually large number have applied for foreign work this year, and seventy three were found qualified and were sent; six missionaries severed their connection with the board on account of health, etc., and eight have died.
 The (now happily ended) war between Guatemala and San Salvador greatly hin dered our work as has the present civil strife in Chili.
 None of our workers have suffered per sonal harm, though they have had great anxiety and annoyance. Things are doing better in Japan than was feared. The the long g-closed schools and to reissue the Nesha, the Arabic paper sent out by our Syrian mission.
 The aggregate additions to mission churches is 2,S75; pupils in schools, 27, $40, an increase over last year of 942, al though many schools have been closed for lack of funds.
 We have in boarding schools, including many men in training for teachers and of last year, while of girls and women un- der similar training there are, 715-in- crease, 113.
 Our students for the ministry are 16O. Our medical missions grow in favor. We have thirty-three physicians-seveno of them ordained ministers-and eleven ladies, twelve hospitals and dispensaries, and many native physicians trained by our doctors. We have treated 6,659 patients including some 6,0OO surgical cases.
 Our mission presses have been more than | ever busy and the great plants at Shanghai and Beirut having sent out this year 63,- | 023, ,355 pages, over 10000, ,000 of them | scripture. The total receipts from all sources were $942, 2,690.
 The Women's boards and societies | with characteristic energy have pushed | their receipts higher than ever-S55, ,559 more than last year. We have not, how ever, ventured to increase appropriations | 10 per cent. the rate that used to be thought our mark for annual gain. But more money must be had if the work is not to suffer. Some churches have had good success with the subscription plan recommended by a recent assembly. The board gladly renews it's acknowledgements to the American Bible society and Ameri can Tract society for generous grants of their publication. The treasurer's repor stands: Deficit from year ending Apri 30, 1890, $60,275; expenditures for yea ending April 30, 1891, $972, ,517; total s1 1,O3S, ,79S. Deficit, S9O,1O Receipts from churches, $346, 779; women's boards s336, ,224. Sunday schools, $34, sos; lega cies, $S9, 189 annuities (donors deceased s17,375; in trust, individuals and miscel
 laneous, $115,OS7. Total $942690.
 Dr. Arthur Mitchell of New York, secre
 tary of the board, was eloquent in his de
 scriptions of the work in China, where a
 the medical station at Canton alone owe
 $50, ,OOO natives had made their first ac
 quaintance with Christianity. In one yea in the devastated district of Yellow rive the missionaries relieved 319, ,000 sufferers
 and the knowledge which the Chinese ha thus obtained of the missionaries had open ed for them new field of usefulness. H called upon more young pastors to go int the vast work which awaited the missions
 ries who should enter the Chinese ield Newspaper reports of riots in China vel } usually colored and exaggerated. Despii l these occasional riots China was as ope 5 and safe for missionaries as this coul try, He hoped to see one hundre = men added to the forces in China withi B the next four years. Siam was pre-emp l ed by the Presbyterians as mission 6el' but in that land as large as Kansas the @ were but three Presbyterian missionarie t and not one of any other denomination = Dr. Lane of San Paulo, Rrazil, and Dr. E t dy of Reyrout, Syria, spoke of the pro
 ress of the missions at their respecti'
 homes. The assembly adopted repo !, setting aside $1 ,OOO, 900 to the foreign mi sions and reelected the retiring membe g of the foreign missions board. # The announcement of the death of M l. Van Dyke at Brooklyn on Tuesday ga I the general assembly something besid 's Professar Briggs to think about yesterd .. morning, but the business of the lobbyis
 was not interrupted long. Button-holil
 was going on in the basement, and wherev
 two or three commissioners met together
 lobbyist was in the midst of them.
 The Briggs men have not yet recover from the setback given them by Dr. Par o hurst's sermon of Sunday. It is nc in thought that the only thing which W
 prevent the assembly from decreeing u
 Dr. Briggs shall step down and cut of 14 Edward Robinson chair of Biblical theo ' gy will be the fear that in such an eve 4 the Union theological seminary will cut self from Presbyterianism.
 This afternoon the assembly occupied 12 self with the reports of committees on c : respondence and church erection.