interest in all that it aims to represent and promote. The synod adopted very cordially a resolution, offered by Rev. George S. Martin of St. Louis, recommending earnest efforts to secure subscribers for it in all their congregations. A rapid journey on Friday, October 18, took me to Marshalltown, Iowa. This jour ney began at 5 A.M. and ended at 10.30 P.M., with a midday rest of four hours at St. Joseph. The Synod of Iowa had been in session at Marshalltown since Thursday evening. I attended their sessions of Saturday, and they had placed me among their invited speakers for Saturday and Sabbath evenings. I was expected to say something for ministerial education and home missions, and something concerning our Church's magazine. More attentive or sympathetic audience could hardly be desired. What I have said of the tone and spirit of the other two synods is quite as applicable to this. From these three may we learn all—the more than twenty synods which have been in session in this month of October? If so, there is wide and grand preparation for a winter of earnest work and prayerful hope, the results of which will be joyfully reported to the next General Assembly. The journey through Iowa; the sight of its wide, undulating, fertile plains; the sojourn in one of its prosperous towns; the passing glance at its numerous neat villages; what I heard, in the synod, of its educational institutions, and, in much conversation, of the steady and faithful enforcement of its laws, including its law for the suppression of grog-shops; all these greatly confirmed my old beliefs and hopes for Iowa. It has always seemed to me a favored commonwealth. Its population, now approaching two millions, is spread over an extent of fertile land capable of sustaining thrice that number in increasing comfort. It has many [December, thriving towns, and several cities already considerable and healthily growing, but no one that is or seems likely to be overgrown. It is more likely to have a score of cities of fifty or a hundred thousand each than any one of a million or half a million. The problems of municipal government aud of city missions in such cities are by no means so difficult as in Londons and New Yorks. From the beginning Iowa has had a preponderance of sober, intelligent, law-abiding people. They are not likely to repent of their purpose to free their state and keep it free from that law-defying institution, the saloon. My first visit to Iowa made such impressions on me that I ventured to say, "In view of the evident course and tendencies of migration in our country and of immigration into it, I believe that in twenty years there will be more of the old Biblereading, Sabbath-keeping, God-fearing New England west of the Mississippi than east of the Hudson." That score of years has passed, and half of another score, and I see no reason to change that opinion. Orthodox New England Congregationalism has done much for Iowa and for the adjacent states. It is still there, doing its proper work in its old form. But not a little of it has kept its old spirit and found its power even increased by being evolved into the Presbyterian form. The sons of the pilgrims and the sons of the covenanters dwell and work together in Iowa. The sons of the pilgrims are welcoming the sons of the covenanters to New England. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Thus dwelling and working together, and keeping their old trust in the covenant-keeping God, they can recover and keep the old Sabbath and the old Bible, the old fear of God and love of men and working of righteousness in New England and in Iowa, and in the newer, broader and not less fertile states beyond. 1889.] Friendly Talk with our Friends. One of the interesting sessions of the Synod of Kansas was given to consideration of the interest of the Synod's College of Emporia. Over four thousand dollars were pledged to its treasury on the floor of synod, by pastors and elders speaking for their congregations and usually giving their personal guaranty for the pledges. The most earnest and cordial feeling was shown, yet it was expressed soberly and thoughtfully. It seemed a calm purpose, not a wordy "boom." Now comes the following joyful note from Emporia : 477 We have two items of rejoicing here. First, Our college is giving marked evidences of divine and human favor; an increased and steadily increasing number of students; also their studiousness and piety keep good pace with the increase of numbers. Secondly, The Arundel Avenue Presbyterian Church this morning, October 24, placed in its belfry a fine 600 pound “Buckeye bell," the gift mostly of Dr. J. B. H. Janeway of New York. This is only the third church bell in Emporia, a city of over twenty churches. Bless God. SAMUEL WARD. FRIENDLY TALK WITH OUR FRIENDS. The present number completes the sixth volume and the third year of THE CHURCH AT HOME AND ABROAD. In a serious and true sense these three years have been years of probation. Whether a magazine constituted and conducted as our General Assembly ordered this to be can fulfill the purposes for which it was designed was a question on which, beforehand, good and wise men differed, and which could only be finally decided by actual experiment. In conducting that experiment, it is not now claimed that no mistakes have been made. It is claimed that there have been put into it three years of diligent, arduous, honest work. The Committee has assiduously studied the economical and administrative problems involved in the conduct of such an enterprise, and has given respectful consideration to all suggestions and criticisms, and faithful obedience to all instructions of the General Assembly. Each General Assembly since the enterprise was inaugurated has accepted and approved the Committee's report to it, and directed the continuance of the work on the line first indicated, with a few mod ifications approved and ordered by those Assemblies. The special directions of the last General Assembly are two-(1) That the price of the magazine shall be one dollar per year to each subscriber; (2) "That the Committee in charge of the magazine obtain and publish such advertisements as may be approved by them, in order to reduce the cost of publication." * This placing the price as low as that of magazines less than half as large and with no better paper or mechanical execution, is justified by the Assembly on the ground that "they believe the wide distribution of this magazine, properly conducted, of more importance than the question of its being a source of revenue, or even a selfsustaining publication." (See Minutes, page 78.) Nevertheless it will be the duty and purpose of the Committee to conduct the magazine as economically and profitably ast possible. They have taken the measures *The Missionary Herald (e. g.) has only half as many pages as THE CHURCH AT HOME AND ABROAD, and its pages are a little smaller. The price of the Herald is one dollar. 478 Friendly Talk with our Friends. which seem to them wisest and best to make our circulation earn all that it can by unobjectionable advertisements, which will begin to appear in the January number. Having settled these questions, after full consideration, through their great representative body, the General Assembly, will not all our brethren unite with us in the endeavor to secure, for the coming year, a much larger number of subscribers than we have yet obtained? In the Synod of Missouri, at its recent meeting, it was suggested that the definite aim should be, in each congregation, to secure a number of subscribers not less than one tenth as large as its number of communicants, and this definite aim was cordially and earnestly recommended by the synod. If this should be fulfilled in all our synods, our number of subscribers would exceed 70,000. Is this impracticable? Is it not a reasonable aim? The number of ministers, reported in the Minutes of the General Assembly of 1889, is 5936; the number of ruling elders is 23,259; the number of deacons, 7450. All these amount to 36,645. The number of Sabbath-school teachers and officers is 89,445. Now it is not claimed that every one of these ought to be a subscriber for our magazine. In many instances there are several Sabbath-school teachers in one family. Many elders and deacons are Sabbath-school teachers, and there are Sabbath-school teachers in most of the families of ministers, elders and dea [December, PASTORS OF THE CONGREGATIONS have already shown, very generally, their desire to extend our circulation. Suffer us, dear brethren, to remind you that now, in this closing month of the year, is the specially favorable time for this effort. Our Business Manager will supply you with circulars and envelopes convenient for gathering subscriptions, and your people naturally expect your advice in respect to such means of instruction and of grace as this magazine is intended to be. We ask no words of commendation for it of which you do not yourselves think it worthy. We will be more than content with such commendation as many of you have publicly given. ELDERS AND DEACONS: Beloved brethren, is not this a work most suitable for you? Cannot you, counselling with your pastors, make definite arrangements, and promptly execute them, whereby every family in your congregation shall see a copy of THE CHURCH AT HOME AND ABROAD, and be invited to subscribe for it? And if, in any congregation, there is an honorably-retired minister, an aged and infirm man, a widow in straitened circumstances, any person who would love to read our monthly reports of what our Church is doing at home and abroad, and who is not able to pay even one dollar, will not you see that such members of your flock shall not go hungry for lack of this food? Sabbath-school Superintendents, Leaders of Mission Bands and Boys' Brigades, and Societies of Christian Endeavor: May we not count upon you all to confer with your pastors, and, under their advice, to do all in your power to aid this Christian endeavor to diffuse through all your associations and through the entire Church the information concerning all parts and departments of her work, which so many of her chosen servants unite in procuring and presenting in our monthly issues? 1889.] Lincoln University-The Two Jameses-Dr. Cuttell. Many kind and encouraging words have been spoken to us; have come in letters from all parts of our land, and from missionaries and correspondents abroad; have been printed by our editorial brethren and their correspondents, and have found utter 479 ance in presbyteries and synods. All these we here acknowledge with deep gratitude, and we find in them the most wholesome stimulus to continued endeavor to make this magazine what all these kind friends wish it to be. In a statement on page 327 of our October number injustice is inadvertently done to the Presbyterian Church in respect to its investments for higher education of Negroes. Lincoln University is not included in that statement. This inadvertence doubtless occurred by reason of the fact that that institution is not under the control of any of our ecclesiastical bodies or any board of the Church. It does, however, report to our General Assembly as to its theological department in the same manner as all our theological seminaries, and is as intimately related to our Church as they. It is properly considered a Presbyterian institution for the higher education of Negroes. It reported to the General Assembly of 1889 that its property amounts to $419,750. It is doing excellent work and deserves well of our Church. Rev. W. M. Hayes of Chefoo, China, requests all churches, Sabbath-schools and mission bands supporting students in the college founded by Dr. Mateer at Tungchow, kindly to send the name of their pastor or secretary to Rev. W. M. Hayes, Tung chow, near Chefoo, China. It is desired to form a new and complete list of the scholarships so taken, in order that the supporters of each may receive acknowledgment of the same. Rev. James Johnston, of Bolton, Lancashire, England, who has given our readers several interesting and instructive ar ticles, and Rev. James Johnston, of London, secretary of the General Conference on Foreign Missions, 1888, are not one and the same. Their bearing the same name subjects them and their respective correspondents and readers to some inconvenience. Readers of the New Testament have had the same difficulty of correctly identifying the several Jameses mentioned in its Gospels and Epistles and in the Acts of the Apostles. Apostles. These two respected Jameses have the added difficulty of bearing the same surname, and that, singularly enough, a name which combines the names of the two great colleagues of Apostle James, John and Peter. We have been requested to guard our readers against the misapprehension. Such is the purpose of this note. Dr. Cattell has found it best to continue his journeying and sojourning in the West longer than he intended. We have heard of him in Texas and in Indian Territory. The synods of those regions have had the pleasure of seeing and hearing him. We are quite sure that they have made his heart glad with their cordial welcome and their hearty responsiveness. Our readers must not be impatient to hear more particularly from himself of what he has seen and heard and enjoyed. We are confident that he will give a good account of himself and of Ministerial Relief in our January number. FOREIGN MISSION NOTES. BY THE SECRETARIES. The meeting of the American Board in New York has, as we believe, furnished another fulfillment of our Saviour's promise to be with his people, in carrying out his great commission, alway, even unto the end of the world. Before the meeting there was a little anxiety. After the meeting held at Des Moines it was predicted that at no distant day, should the eastern members be found in a majority, there would be a serious departure from the positions then taken. There certainly was no lack of free discussion at the late meeting, and very plain and definite criticisms were expressed. The proposal was made to remove Dr. Alden from the secretaryship and appoint another in his place; but Dr. Alden was retained by a majority of votes of about two to one. On the other hand, Mr. Dickinson, who represented the other wing (and the president, Dr. Storrs, said that a board, like an angel, had two wings), was retained on the Prudential Committee, and largely by conservative votes, showing that in the great body as a whole. there was a spirit of generous conciliation on both sides. A very reassuring report was made by the Committee of Fifteen appointed last year at Cleveland to inquire whether any changes in the constitution of the Board were needed in order to bring it into closer relations with its constituents. The report represented that of the sixteen hundred circulars sent to churches, theological professors and corporate members, soliciting an opinion in this matter, nearly two thirds were unanswered, showing that the question was by no means a "burning" one in the minds of the great constituency. "Of 590 responses, 325 favored one change or another, but many of them with such qualifications that if they were classified separately the majority would be against a change." Evidently there was no call for action on that subject at present, though the committee is continued for another year. As there have been many complaints against the Prudential Committee for rendering itself a secret tribunal and putting the brand of heresy on whom it pleased, as well as for presenting misleading reports, the Prudential Committee itself asked for a special committee who should inquire into the methods of administration and suggest any changes which might seem necessary. Such a committee was appointed, and all parties expressed their satisfaction. President Storrs was re-elected, and a pledge was given him from the whole Board that the principles set forth in his letter of acceptance in 1887 should still be sustained. The Independent, in speaking of the Board and this pledge, says: "Now let those who have been opposed to the policy of the Board, and have at the same time expressed satisfaction with Dr. Storrs' letter, accept the situation frankly and support the Board with all their might." An article in the Mission Record of the Church of Scotland, by A. S. Martin, M.A., gives our transatlantic friends a sketch of the students' volunteer movement in America. Mr. Martin points out the fact that the chief inspiration of the movement is a conviction that the work of converting the world to God should be undertaken upon the expectation of its speedy accomplishment, and that the watchword of the movement is "The world for Christ within this generation." The general pledge which many hundreds of young men are making is, "We are willing and desirous, God permitting, to become foreign missionaries." "The promise," says Mr. Martin, "is so worded as to include two classes of volunteers. It is neither indefinite nor yet does it demand too much. The volunteer makes the foreign field his life-work unless an obstacle arises clearly by the hand of God. |