The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-14

per annum, will allow of it's entrance into every family of our Congregational constituency.
 The conviction is clear that many thousand of the more intelligent friends of missions require and should have the ampler information and stimulus that can be supplied only in the pages of our monthly magazine. It IS poor economy to scrimp the seed from which we look for harvest.
 THE MIDDLE DISTRICT,
 We are gratified at the evidence of abundant and successful labors in the Middle district carried on by District Secretary Rev. c. c. Creegan, D. D., in the midst of overwhelming anxieties, which ended in the sorest affliction that can come to household. He writes: Tt is With profound gratitude to God that we are able to make q report which compares favorably with that Of other years, notwithstanding difficulties ana discouragements which without divine aid would have been insuperable."
 We then follow the office and field work, and catch inspiration from the financial situation, which shows but lit tie falling off in receipts from the pre- vious year. It is noted that the New York office. which has been in the Bible House since 1S53 is to be removed to the United Charities Building in November
 DISTRICT OF THE INTERIOR,
 A reading of the report of Rev. A. N Hitchcock, Pm. D., of the district of the interior, will make clear that there has been year of earnest and successful work in the office and on the field. The efforts among Endeavor societies have been very satisfactory. A study of the tables will show that in this district there has been a falling off in church collections and gifts from individuals directly to the board of $2,941.85. Un- happily the receipts from the auxiliaries of the W. B. M. I. show falling off Of $7, 443.37. The number of churches con- tributing from all sources is less this year by an even 100, and the number taking public collections is less by 67. It is a somewhat singular fact that in sixty-one churches a gift from a single individual seems to have taken the place of a public offering. Contribu- tions from the Christian Endenvor soci- cites reach the hitherto unparalleled to- tai of $8, ,735.26 and this notwithstanding the fact that last year they were over forty per cent. in advance of the year preceding.
 PACIFIC AGENCY.
 The agent on the Pacific coast, Rev. Walter Frear has had many cares by the presence of the Morning Star at San Francisco undergoing extensive re- pairs. The contributing churches and the amount of contributions are about as last year.
 PUBLISHING AND PURCHASING
 DEPARTMENT
 There is much to encourage us in the report from MT. Charles E. Swett in larger calls for our best literature from seminaries colleges and other literary institutions and the organizations of classes for the study of missions. Con siderable new and revised literature has been printed this year. A compan- ion book to Mission Stories in Many Lands" is just now to be issued under the title of Tn Lands Afar." This vol ume will claim a welcome from Sunday schools. missionary societies and fami- lies that found the first volume attrac- tive. They will be found valuable not alone for the facts they convey in re- gard to the conditions of missionary life and labor, but as related to geo. gra apf,ical and ethnological study they will give correct and important infor- pupil and teacher
 l The pastors of eastern churches, as in quite number of instances those of the far west, have made use of the lantern slides furnished by the board illustra- ting it's several missions. New slides have been procured and during the coming year the churches may have more attractive and extended facilities for illustrated mission meetings. { INCLUSION OF ANNUAL REPORT l OF HOME DEPARTMENT. 1 About 110 conferences and associa- tions have been visited during the year, 1 thirty five in the New England district, ! forty-five in the Middle district, and some twenty-five in the district of the interior and six on the Pacific coast. While all this is good, very good, the chief dependence always is with the pastors and churches themselves when controlled by the belief that the prime end of the church's ministry is the evangelization of the world.
 COOPERATING SOCIETIES.
 Nothing can be more satisfactory than the continued happy relations with the American Bible society and the l American Tract society both of New 1 York. We desire to give public ac- knowledgement of gratitude to these societies for the spirit of fellowship which has been manifested in such practical ways during the many years of our common history.
 FINANCIAL SITUATION.
 We separated from our last annual meeting with almost divided counsels as to whether the board should instruct the committee to increase the appropri- ations for the coming year. The pru- dential committee was authorized tt provide as far as possible and as speed fly as possible for the restoration of the general work of the board in it's severa missions" For this opportunity the committee is always eagerly watching The Judgment of the board expressed in these words, that the prudential committee should make an immediate definite and energetic appeal to tht churches, setting forth the losses al ready incurred and the distresses al ready suffered, with the heavier disas ters to be apprehended in the future. received the careful attention of the committee and such an appeal wa. made. Appeals have been repeated through the year in various ways. Tht religious papers have given freely O