The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-03
CONGREGATIONAL HOME MISSIONS
Yesterdays Session of the Society at
Pittsburg.

Gen. o. o. Howard Reelected President
| Senator Hawley and Congressman
| -Dingiey Among the Vice Presidents
| Paper by Secretary Clark.
Saratoga, N. Y, June AIT this af-
ternoon's session of the Congregations
Home Missionary Society, addresses were
| mace by the secretaries and representa-
| yves OF cooperating societies. Rev. DR..
| IL. Il. Cobb, spoke in regard to the Con-
gregatlonal church building society.
heV. Geo. A. Tewksbury of Concord,
| Mass presented the claims of the Conere-
gat1onal Educational society. Rev. DIR. NJ
IL. Whlttlesey of New Haven reported on
oehaH. OF the ministerial relief committee.
Reports of the executive committee and
treasurer, VIM. b. Rowland Of New York
city were read and adopted.
A lengthy discussion followed an
amendment followed to article of the
constitution relative to eligibility of
members to the executive committee. 1t
was lost
DIR. Fairbanks of Vermont gave formal
notice that he would present similar
amendment at the next annual meeting.
Inc following officers We're elected:
President, Major General oliver o. How
ard OF Vermont; vice-presidents, Joseph
+. Hawley of Connecticut, Rev John K.
Mexican of California, jeremiah n. Mer-
rillof Iowa, Rev. Edwin B Webb of Mas
sachusetts, VIM. H. Alexander of Ne
braska,, Nelson Dinngley, Jr., of Maine,
Rev. Edward P. Goodwin of Illinois,
Cornelius D. Wood of New York, Rev.
Edward D. Eaton of Wisconsin and III.
Clark Ford of Ohio; recording secretary,
Rev. VIM. Fl. Holman of Connecticut;
auditor, Geo. S. Engell of New York
executive committee to serve until 1898,
to fill vacancy, Rev. Chas. r. Savage of
New Jersey to serve until 1900; George P.
Stockwell of New York, Asa A. Spear of
New York, John F. Anderson. Jr, of
New York, Vim. Wanamaker of Pennsyl-
vania and Rev. DR.. Charles M. Lamson
of Connecticut
The opening paper at the evening SEES
sion of the Con gregational Home Mission
airy Society was read by the secretary,
Rev. DIR. Joseph B. Clark, of New York.
1t was entitled "a Year of Distress" 1t
was in part as follows:
The total decline of the year in gifts
from the living amounts to over S67, 900,
and this estimate does not include in
either year any special contributions to-
wards the debt. In the same time the
falling off in legacies, always an uncer-
tain quantity, has been over SOL ZOO, ma
king a total deficit in our available re-
sources as compared with the SEVENTEEN
year, of about s117, GOO, and leaving
total debt upon the treasury, old
and new, of s125,5O0. Had the receipts
the SEVENTEEN year been maintained
during the seventy first year, as prophecy
nd hope encouraged us to expect, every
obligation of the year just closed would
have been fully met, and the debt of the
society reduced to about 10000.
There has been a total reduction of
twenty-three per cent. in the operating
expenses Of the society for the coming
year. 1t is even greater, since the recent
change in the Home Missionary magazine
from monthly to a quarterly issue, and
the possible saving of one secretary sala-
ry, will add several thousand dollars to
these estimated economies
All the States were equal sufferers, and
not one could spare dollar for it's needy
neighbor. Reluctantly, therefore. and
with sad fOreboding horizontal cut of
seventeen per cent. was applied, and upon
this reduced scale the work of the new
year has been laid out. The total saving
thus effected in the operating and mis-
sionary expenses of the society is not far
from $50, 0b0.
But whoever takes the broader view,
10 10
seventy years of home missionary history |
will rise up heartened and inspired |
Even during the decade just closed, en- |
bracing, as it does, three such years of |
financial depression as the country never |
before witnessed, home missionary re-
ceipts advanced more than seventy per |
cent. over the preceding ten years. Moth |
ing has happened in the past twelve |
months, nor in the past forty-eight /
months, to reverse the law of growing |
sympathy and sacrifice that have marked |
seven decades of home missionary his |
tory.
Thus in Nebraska, nearly every church |
has made gain in its membership In |
Kansas the withdrawal of pastors and the |
doubling up of fields has developed new
spirit Of lay activity with cheering re-
suits.
Colorado, in spite of political and finan-
cial excitements has seen unusual spirit |
ual returns. In Oklahoma hard times |
have thinned out some of the least prom |
Using churches, while Strengthening the |
spirit of self-help in those that remain
Arizona and New Mexico have had the |
best recent year for church growth in |
their history. In Alabama, two-t thirds of |
the churches have been blessed with |
gracious revivals and with more hopeful |
than in any year of the past,
and the same is substantially true of |
Georgia. vs.
In Pennsylvania nearly every church |
reports additions and several revivals of |
marked power and fruit have been en-
joyed Wyoming and Black Hills have
felt the bitterness of prolonged political
strife. Washington reports in most of
her churches additions at every commu-
MON through the year. In Oregon there
were thirteen revivals, 800 conversions
and 305 additions on confession of faith.
In Minnesota several churches, feeling
that debt was too great a luxury for
hard times have, by strenuous exertion.