The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-14
Missionary Societies See No
 Increase in Finances
GROWTH OF CATHOLICS
Headers for Missions Say This Is a Hard Year for MOney-Protes- ants and Catholics Disagree
 Over Teachers Garb

and Baptist home have just announced their financial figures for last year, and the Methodist foreign has made up and announced It's receipts for presentation to the general conference at Minneapolis. These are four of the seven large soce- ties closing their financial books this spring, and all four admit they see no appreciable increase in receipts because of supposed larger interest in missions on the part of laymen.
 The Methodist foreign falls off 900 in receipts to it's general fund. although 1t gains in it's total receipts because of spe- cial gifts. The Baptist home actually falls into larger debt. The Methodist board shows. for the four years since the last general conference, receipts of $5,65s, PSI. a great growth in total. and a growth in regular gifts in all of the four years save last year. The Baptist home took over debt of S25,OOO a year ago, and this year adds s4O.0O0 to 1t.
 The Presbyterian board of foreign mis- sions, just closing it's books, is celebrating it's 75th anniversary this year. It's re- ceipts exceed $.950,000 1d 1887, it's first year. it's receipts were si4,oee. None of this large amount received last year came from the Kennedy legacy. There has been used during the year $750,00O of that legacy, but 1t is a separate account Of the receipts last year, which are far ahead of any previous year, $170,0O0 came from legaeies a gain of S70,000 over ordi- nary years and S200.0O0O from the women. raised chiefly.as result of the Womens Jubilee. Presbyterian women took over from their official board, which is con- ducted by men. certain financial tasks. and they not only completed all of them and raised more money than they prom ised to do. but they kept up their own receipts amounting to about $400,000 a year.
 The Presbyterian foreign board states, through it's treasurer, that it's only gains to be credited to larger interest by laymen amount to S4S,o0o but 1t has not had time since ending it's year to ascertain whether the increase Is due to gifts from laymen or not The amount credited to individ- uals, possibly women. year before last was S22S 900, and the amount last year $271 900 Presbyterian churches as such fell off last. year in their gifts $l0,O00. Secretaries and treasurer say they are unable to trace larger gifts.
 The Presbyterian board of home mis- sions has broken all records in receipts. Its income last year was $1, 800, coo and 1t has increased it's budget for next year by S100,000. Its increase is not. it says, from churches or from laymen but chiefly from legacies These amount to $500 eco, an un- precedentel amount. Women also in- creased their gifts, while maintaining their own receipts, by about $150,000. The legacies go into permanent funds, to be used when. necessary to Keep the board out of debt. to be afterwards replaced.
 The Northern Baptist convention, meet ing next month. will make much of for eign mission work. It will also report great progress in construction of educa- tional and other buildings for negro work. The Rev l. E. Hicks of the Baptist col lege at Rangoon., Burma; the Rev. A. F. Groesbeck of the Baptist China work and the Rev. Dr.. James H. Franklin, foreign secretary-elec will speak for the foreign Baptist work Building in the south includes a new hospital at Raleigh on grounds of Shaw University, costing s4O.000 of which the general educational board gave S000 and negroes $5000; a new Sale building, named in memory of the late Superintendent of Education Sale, at Atlanta Baptist college, that cost $400O0; and dormitories and residences at Vir- ginia Union Seminary at Richmond, that cost $50O00. More and more the general education board is assisting eolored work is encouraging negroes to serve on man. aging boards, and together with the Bap- list society Is getting large gifts from negroes for their own work
 It is the purpose to establish a new magazine, the expense underwritten by friends of foreign missions. that will dis- cuss the higher phases of mission work particularly from the point of view of the expert It is calculated that s50,O01 will be required to put the venture upon q permanent footing with five years time for the task. The Rev. Dr. R. F. flag gard, home secretary of the American Baptist Foreign Mission society Boston, was offered the edltorship of the new periodical. but he has just declined it. He does so, he announces, not because the publication is not important, and the ser- vice it can render missions great but because of what he feels to be the larger duty owing by him to the Baptist foreign work.
 new movement among colored women Of the south Is the founding of Neighbor- hood Unions. Christian women are found- ing. them, but their basic idea is the ln- proving of social conditions, with particu- lar reference to cleanliness of homes and yards, and the adjustment of community troubles. The first union was started in Atlanta, having for it's head the wife of President Hope of Atlanta Baptist col leSe. The idea is extending, and unions are starting lip in other southern cities. A wlfite Presbyterian minister is making n study of a section of Atlanta, with fhe aim of creating new and better social centre, and he Is receiving the co-opera- ton of the Neighborhood Union. Chris ton leaders say they see in this union idea the beginning of a new epoch.
 New Rockefeller Pastor
 Baptists in the Fifth Avenue church, l New York. including John D. Rockefelle1.