Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1891-10-14
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
What the American Board
Has Accomplished.
A RVVIEW OF ITS WORK.
..COllectlOns Coming In Slow
other Details.

PITTSFlELD, Mass, Oct. l4.-Ihe elgnty-
second annual meeting of the American
board began here yesterday. Twice before,
in lS4o and 1866 the board has met in
Plttsfeld. Revered DR. Storrs, the presi
dent, opened the meeting by script.ral
reading and prayer and the minutes OF
last years meeting Mt Minneapolis were
read. DIR. jenkins. pastor of the First
Congregational church, in which the meet
ings are held. welcomed the gathering He
said that the ground on which tho build
dng stands had never known private own
snhip. The first missionary society in
Massachusetts, was that Of Berk shire
county and Columbia county New York
formed in 170S. lie was glad that 80 un-
usual n number, more than = .ty of the
active and retired m.ssionari,s and Dyyr
100 theological students, were guests. He
praised DR.. Storrs' agency in harmoniZing
the board.
DIR. Storrs responded, recalling tie fact
that the board WAS essentially s;artel in
this county, In the world renowned hay
stack prayer in Wliap stown Oaly
twenty ont e the 200 corporate members
who were present at the las: Pittsiieid
meeting were living now. Then, although
the Presbyterians were operating through
this board, tie total receipts we're IA little
more than one-fourth, on gold basis, of
those Of today, when the Con2regat ional-
lists are alone. Thea, TO, there was n
great falling ff in the number Of mission.
aries. Now there is great improvement in
respect both to money and men.
stand up for Jesus" was then sung,
after which comniittec n numinatiols
was appointed b. DR.. St-rrs, and those on
arrangements and business were elected.
An outline Of the report Of the pru-
Dental committee on the home depart
ment was read by SecretHrv Alden.
The following is an abstract ot the le-
port of the prudential committee:
Home Department.
Only three corporate members OF the Amer
lean board have died during the year: Philip
L. Moen, Henry w. Dexter, u. y. and Moses
A. Herrick.
Five missionaries and -four, On assistants
have gone abroad or are on tie way. Several
others have recently been appointed and will
sail soon. Twenty-eight have returned or are
on the way.
3. T. Humphrey, ID. D.; intends ~ retire
from the middle interior district nftrct after
twenty-seven years. ihard service. Iu,tho mid
die district, c. II. Daniels reports that four
teen returned missionaries have Inaic $50 adj
dresses among the churches az an average
cost for travelling expenses Of Sl.:5 each. Con-
certs OF prayer are reviving. Much literature
has been distributed, but with all this effort
al OF the lll3 churches Of this district havs
made no gifts to the cause. More must be
done 10 interest Sunday schools.
From tho middle district Indiana and Mich
igan TO the Rocky mountains) 200 special meet
ings are reported. and marked Increase OF in
terest has been awakened in propprtoratc Civ
ing. Sunday schools and Chris ian EndCGyor
societies are doing better, but not wen cnough.
Since lsC0-G4 when the gifts 10 foreign mis-
sions from the chu'cl {. of our district were
only 81 per cent. II tGcir total bcnCiCencc,
gifts have increased til The proportion in the
last five years has been Il Ior cent and the
legacies have grown Ia the same time from 2
per cent. up to II per cent The ayc,a;c per
member grew from lSto c6 ocats in the same
time.
Total Donations. 80. SS2,Fi18 Slol ,5l0.S6
Legacies. es.'.'..'...,.,..'' 5,o,ol9 l"3io.O3
Total........... ...... ssS,Gao5 sls,G6.4 40
Field Secretary G. G. Creegan has SPOKEN
over 2OO times In twenty states Of the Union.
OF our 2OlO churches in this great interior
three-fourths have less than 100 members
each; more than half less than 10. Here are
most Of our home missionary churches. They
have given some of their choicest young peo-
pie. A marked feature in Mr.. Crecgan's work
has been
Series OF Missionary Rallies
held In nine New England cities, with promi-
nent speakers. The result has been a marked
Increase in public interest. Bcsilcs tht ss tho
churches were invited TO hold 81 nultaucous
meetings, and The result has been very good.
The report closed with detailed COM
parison of receipts from donations with
those Of former years, which shows that
the donations Of this year have grown
steadily, month by month, TO n total Of
tS4, ,463 7S, "a gain over last year of &c.,
$40 Ol, ard Of s927l570 over the average
for the last five years.
Adding legacies (s2O6. ASS Al, n gain over
last year of SO, CSC 30, aud above the annual
average of the last two years by Sf1, ,3j5 81
we have total gifts and legacies Of $780,
21o 10. n gain over last year Of s15. .1QS IS,
aud over the average Of the last five years
Of Sl5s, ,0ol.27. Adding income from gen
eral permanent fund, the total from gifts
and legacies for the year Is ST0i ,il7G5.
With the $4,000 Appropriated from tho
SWEET bequest, and $50. .011 - from that OF
Mr.. Otis, the committee have had at their
disposal 1924. .sl2 50
In conclusion the report says:
Next year, since the SWEET bcQuest Is almost
exhausted. $4,000 over the donations OF this
year will be needed If wo are not TO fall be-
hind the scanty approuIiations maze this
Vear: 100000 increase in gifts ia tie pressing
need Just now. We have almost reached the
half million 20 which we havc luo<, forward.
Let US make IL si00,0O IN gifts alone, 80 that
the round million we have long prayed for
Will not be too much to plan for ina near
future.
The committee on arr0 rgemerts was
then appointed. DR.. Pratt offered prayer.
nfter which Treasurer LanRdoI 5 Ward
tend an abstract of his rep'rt.
The treasnr,r's rep r. shows receipts of
bs24, ,325 30; expenditures. ;S.ICiS 80; bal
nnoe on hand. Sept. !. 1891. SiNi'0
81 love to Tell the story was then sung.
The annual survey Of the On ssionary fields
was read by Secretary Clark.
survey Of work.
In Papal Lands -Succc.H g. moro marked
than ever before. In western y. yic'. n or
years of discouiagcmcnt, the mission has
gained the confidence ~ all The girls school
has more than doubled its numbers Similar
announcement j. met IN northern Mexico. In
spain, although the native churches receive
many new member. many Of them ,mi.rltc
20 seek n livelihood In Austria ever, thing
has been conrc. trstt1 un the work In ilohJ mia
with the hapriCsi r.sIlts.
European Turkey !n Bulgaria the missions
ere trying To keep lace with the great social
and political rruyre5s 81 the people, which 8.
largely the result 81 our labor. In Albania a
new work has tocn begun among n rrcwi-ire
race of mountaiucers hitherto uot fc,C, 60 IS
thu gnsreL
IadA .ad G! lon R,tgcl,hmeat has told