Evening star., 1898-05-25
FOREIGN MISSIONS REPORT
Good Showing Made Is At the Presbyterian
General Assembly.
Resolution Adopted by the Assembly
E.pre.stns sympathy With
Soldiers in the War.

WINoNA LAKE. Mimi, May 25.-The re-
port on foreign missions submitted to the
Presbyterian general assembly today con-
tanned the following:
The fiscal year began with debt Of
$97 ,454 but this and all other obligations
had been met Appropriations had been re-
duced 100000, and thus the debt, which
had existed in varying amounts since 1888,
had been extinguished.
Reports from all the fields were encourag-
ing, in spite of the fact that retrenchment
had told heavily upon the schools, some of
which had been closed. The receipts were:
From churches, 1892 500; women's board,
S312,3II Sunday schools, 3S2O9; young
peoples societies, $1O,013; legacies, $75.940;
miscellaneous donations, $12,610; interest on
investments, etc, $97 ,613 contributions to
meet debt of 1897, S79, ,t3S; total, S9l9,l2o.
The disbursements were 1864, ,7O2, Of which
S56,Oo1 was for office expenses, part of them
at the direction of the general assembly.
The Publication Board.
The report of the board of publication
and Sabbath school, also presented, repre-
sented two interests, the one missionary
and the other commercial The publication
board reported net profits of $31,047 on sales
aggregating s121, ,755 Of books and tracts,
and S257,25S for periodicals. The active
capital of the concern is now Sl93, 3,624 The
board reported the publication of 1,90o,SIo
copies of books and tracts and 43, 139, SIG
copies of periodicals.
The missionary branch of the board re-
ceivei a total of $11iSi5, of which $51,976
was given by the Sunday schools. and $40,
O9S represents two-thirds of the net profits
of the business department. The board
reported a decrease of $2,S91 in its in
Come. Working under the board sew
enty-six missionaries who have organized
LOIS new Sabbath schools, with a total at
tendance of 81, Ala scholars. These schools
are located In twenty-nine states and ter
ritorIes.
Growth of the Church.
The statistical report showed that a com
parison with the returns of last year indi-
Gated healthy but not rapid growth of the
church. The increase in the number If
ministers was forty-four, of pastors twen-
ty-seven, of congregations eleven, of pas
tCral charges ten, increased membership in
America 2,6G9; in the whole church, 2,79S.
Inc contributions increased s63,S01 There
are at present 651 pastors with charges,
96l congregations and 126,339 communi-
cants. The young peoples societies num-
Der 1,017, with a membership of Al 67S and
the number of Sunday schools is ,1O7, with
ls;oso ofilcers and teachers and 1867
scholars. There are twelve synods and six
ty-six presbyteries. The average salaries
OF pastors in 1897 was 81 O26
1he report of the board of home missions
granted
aid during the year, the average attendance
In tnose reporting being 1850 with Il, $50
communlcants a net gain of 1884. The
amount contributed was s14.S27. The total
expenditure during the year was s77,192.
very lew new stations were taken up, and
the progress of the whole work has not
been SO marked as at some former times.
tnfavOrnble Conditions in West.
Throughout. much of the west unfavor-
able conditions still prevail. The receipts
from all SOURCES Were $67.2G7, expenditures
SU,92 the debt owing to this added de-
hc.ency now amounting to $2O,325 All
claims, however, had been paid by borrow
ing money. The church had been keeping
up It's gifts well from year to year, but the
annual outlay for mission work had stead
lily exceeded the income. The situation was
very serious oneI
The report of the board Of freedmen's
missions showed that IL was maintaining
e.ght organized congrega tions, with 595
communicates and eleven schools with an
Average enrolment of :!,35S. The receipts
were So l61 and the expenditures SJO91l
The balance in the treasury, 81, ,49O it was
said would not be sufficient to meet the
expenses of the work for the rest of the
year. An appropriation of S50Es) to paw
the present Indebtedness and to defray ex-
penses or the coming year was asked for.
sympathy With the Soldiers
Devotional exercises We're conducted by
Rev. Wm Wallace of Mexico. A resolution
was adopted eXpI essing the cordial sympa-
thy of the general assembly with the ma
tional relief commission and similar asso-
Citations having in view the welfare of the
soldiers, sailors and marines engaged in
the present war with Spain. The regular
order of the day was foreign missions. DR..
Geo. F. Pentecost of Yonkers, N. Y. chair
man of the standing committee, presented
a report and addressed the assembly