The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-08
LIVE CHURCH NEWS
 OF WHOLE WORLD
Missionary Money Prospects
 Not Very Bright
COUNTING CATHOLICS
Reported That Archbishop Kennedy Is to Be Made Cardinal-Mission- aries Working in Putumayo
 Rubber Country

Three we'll known missionary societies are just closing their books for the year. One, the Episcopal general, Is about S75.- GOO ahead of last year. another, the Amer ican board, Is appealing to Congrega- tional churches to come to its aid that 1t may close the year without debt, and the third, the American missionary, clos ing its books at the end of September, is few thousand dollars ahead of this date last year, but reports that 1t must have gifts In unusual sums if it ends even. There apepars to be little gain to missions from the agitation of the past two years. beyond steady gain that has obtained for a generation, and even less from the unusual prosperity which farm CTS and tradespeople enjoy.
 The American Missionary association, having work among negroes and h. dains. reports heavy losses to its work by Mississippi floods. It's annual meet ing is to be held in Buffalo at the end of October. It is to be the first home society to celebrate the hftieth anniversary of the signing of the emancipation proclamation by Presi dent Lincoln. This anniversary Is to be observed later by several religious bodies. The American board is behind s7oo0 in It's receipts from churches dur ing the first II months of the year. It's receipts last year were s1,003,000, it's first year to pass the million mark. Its annual meeting Is to be held in Port land, October to Il. At the moment 1t Is issuing appeals to churches and individuals that they help 1t keep up the level of last year. Talk of sur passing last year does not appear in It's literature, but there is much talk of eebt and deficits.
 The Episcopal general board for the first time this year includes in its ap portionments the gifts from women and children, which fact greatly increases it's totals. To meet its appropriations it states that 1t must have s4Oo,O00 during a period that last year 1t received $2oo,.--. It's literature Is not hopeful, although 1t reports an advance of $S5,000 in July and t75.0oo up to the middle of August. The board holds no annual meeting. Its re- ports are made to its church at large orce every three years. The last one was made in 1910. On its general proposi-
 
 other societies. In 1911 1t received three times the amount in offerings from dou- ble the number of churches as compared with 10 years ago.
 Among treasurers and home secretaries of missionary societies, both domestic and foreign, there is not an over hopeful feeling Some report gains but demands from fields swallow them up. Appro- iations are constantly increased and deficits are as frequent as ever. Some societies would adopt the plan of holding in bank all moneys received during given year, and spending 1t the succeed Ing year. Only they cannot halt work in hand long enough to make the accumula- ton. New societies, were any started, would adopt such plan. Administration cost of societies has advanced slightly along with other costs, and now run up to about cents on the dollar. few administer gifts on less; some spend 10 cents as against 75 years ago.