The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-05-25
1'HE PRESBYTERIANS.
General Assembly Listens to
Readings of Reports.
RESULT OF WORK FOR FREEDMEN.

cussion over Tobacco in the Reformed
Presbyterian Assembly at Pittsburg.
Eagle Lake, Ind, May 25.-The dele
gates to the Presbyterian general as
sembly began work in good season and
made rapid headway. The first order
of business was the reading OF the re-
port of the Freedmen's board. In the
annual report of the board Of missions
for freedman it is set forth that two
boarding schools for girls, not on the
list last year, are being operated. These
are the ones at Admission, Ala, and
West Point, Miss. The other seventeen
schools have been retained. The board
reports that ii has endeavored to carry
on it's work with the least possible out
lay. The services of the treasurer, as
a salarled officer, have been dispensed
with and also those of the field secre-
tary. The debt has been increased from
$26,123 to $51,275.
The real estate item amounts to $f9,-
613, more than it will probably be again
for many years, the bulk of the amount
going toward the rebuilding of the
Mary Holmes seminary. Buildings
have been completed as follows: Boys
dormitory at Oak Hill, church and
school at Newport News, Hot Springs
church. basement of new church at
Chattanooga, and aid was given to build
churches at Columbia, 5. c., Savannah,
Ga, Charlotte, N. c., Stetesville, n. c.,
Roanoke. Va, Birmingham. Ala, Spar
tanburg, S. c., and Maryville, Tenn.
Deficit seemed Probable.
According to the report of the board
of aid for colleges and academies, that
body, at the beginning of the year re-
solved to cut expenses 10 per cent This
it was found later on would not only
be impossible but a considerable deficit
seemed probable. Friends made up the
amount necessary to prevent this and
at the close of the year the board found
itself with funds in hand sufficient to
pay all the appropriations voted
Thirty institutions have been assisted
by the board-six less than last year,
owing to the financial straits in which
the members found themselves.
Most of the institutions suffered Sc
| we're reductions in their income and
many were enabled to remain open only
by making great sacrifices. The num-
! ber of students was 2,6l0, being (for the
| same institutions) sixty-nine more than
| in 1856 and the number in college
| classes also increased, but there was a
| considerable decrease in the number of
! classical courses and some decrease in
church membership. credible conver-
! sions and choices of the ministry. with
! slight increase of the number in sys-
! tematic Bible study
( Receipts for the Year.
The total receipts for the year 1867
were $77,9S6 and the expenditures $7l,-
126 the balance on hand in April be-
| ing 1924. The report of the board of
| church erection shows that in the course
| of the year PIG formal applications from
I churches contemplating building were
! received. This is a decrease from the
| previous year, which the board attri-
! butes to reluctance to attempt new en-
| terprises in times of financial strin-
( gency.
| The applications to the general fund
were 154. aggregating $S3, ,4OS; to the
manse fund, AS, aggregating $45,950; to
| the loan fund, IA, aggregating s49,950,
} the total income of the board for the
! year from all sources was $l15, 737. TAX
! ing the three departments together the
| number of churches aided reached 1874
/ and the aggregate amount appropriate
ed was 1892 The aggregate re-
] ceipts were s123,777 and the disburse-
! ments $137,577 During the year there
were reported as completed by the aid
of the board and without debt ia
| churches and manses of an aggregate
! value of $444,735
Reports ON Home Missions.
The report Of the freedmen's board
was quickly followed by that of the
board of home missions. The report OF
the board of home missions began with
| a review of the financial condition of
the last few years and their bearings
upon the debt of the board. During three
years there has been a decline in re-
ceipts amounting to $213,000 i'm 1856,
| as compared with that of 1928. AT
the beginning of the present fiscal year
the board had debt of $4,000, which
had been reduced to $147,27 by an ex-
cess of receipts over expenditures of
nearly $4,000, by the use of the same
amount derived from permanent funds
available for current work and by the
receipt of over $4,000 from special coll
lections and from the quarter-century
anniversary fund. Other moneys in
course of collection or otherwise avail
able further reduce the net debt 70
$121,176 For the purpose of curren,
work the board received a total of $780,
770. nearly 100000 of which was cred
tied TO the women's executive commit
tee of home missions. The total con-
tributed by the churches was $476.1li
and legacies brought Sl05,5S9.
Cut of 10 Per Cent.
The reduction of expenditures was OBJ
tanned by cut of 10 per cent. in tht
expenditures in New York and by a
like reduction in the amounts appor-
toned to the various presbyteries. The
amount thus given to presbyteries was
proportloned by them and they were
free to consolidate work or cut salaries
as they saw fit. During the year 1,41'
ministers had been in the pay of tn,
board, of whom 131 were in New York
100 in Kansas, 100 in Iowa, SO In Min
nesota, "a each in Michigan and Ne
braska, 70 in California, "A in South Da
kota, 65 In Washington and a smalle
number in the rest of the thirty-nin,
states and territories In which tn,