METHODISTS. I. Methodist Episcopal Church. The following is a summary of the statistics of this church as compiled from the minutes of the conferences for 1887: Number of traveling preachers, 12,554; of preachers on trial, 1,581; of local preachers, 14,032; of members, 1,860,591; of probationers, 233,344; of members and probationers, 2,093,935; of baptisms, 74,638 of children, and 101,520 of adults; of churches, 20,755, having a probable value of $80,812,792; of parsonages, 7,532, having a probable value of $11,908,047; of Sundayschools, 24,080, returning 267,447 officers and teachers and 2,016,181 pupils. Amount of collections: for missions, $916,924; for church extension, $127,251; for the Sunday-school Union, $20,348; for the Tract Society, $19,125; for the Freedmen's Aid Society, $83,657; for education, $109,643; for the American Bible Society, $33,589; for the Women's Foreign Missionary Society, $159,344; for the Women's Home Missionary Society, $63,395; for pastors, presiding elders, and bishops, $8,312,052; for conference claimants, $205,128; for building and improvements, $4,381,868.

Church Extension.-The General Committee of Church Extension met in Philadelphia, Pa., November 17. The receipts for the general fund had been, including a balance of $39,965 from the previous year, $198,590; the expenditures to October 31 had been $157,374; the loan fund had received $110,763, and had applied, in loans to churches, $111,650; aid had been afforded, in loans and gifts, to 522 churches, making the whole number of churches aided from the beginning, 6,327; grants had been provided, in loans and donations, to the amount of $69,015, and applications were on file from 112 churches for $62,764; 37 special gifts for frontier churches had been received, representing an aggregate amount of $9,250, of which 29 had been applied to as many churches, representing a valuation of $65,650, with 1,056 members and 2,000 Sunday-school pupils; loans of $8,000 had been added to these gifts. The board fixed the amount to be asked from the conferences for the ensuing year at $236,150.

Freedmen's Aid Society.-The twentieth annual meeting of the Freedmen's Aid Society was held in Chicago, Ill., December 5th. Bishop J. M. Walden presided. The entire receipts for the year had been $184,424, of which $20,957 had been paid by students; the amount of expenditures had been $183,690. The society had since its foundation expended almost $2,000,000 in the work of education in the South, and it now had school property to the value of nearly $1,000,000. The 24 schools and colleges for colored persons in the South were served by 124 teachers, and returned an average attendance of 4,500 pupils; the 15 schools for white persons employed 83 teachers, and had an average attendance of more than 2,000 pupils. Since the institution of the society, more than 100,000 pupils had been taught in its schools,

and more than a million persons had been instructed in other schools by its pupils who had become teachers. Special attention was given to industrial education at Clark University, Atlanta, Ga., where carpentry, agriculture, printing, wagon and carriage building, blacksmithing, and harness-making were taught; Claflin University, Orangeburg, S. C., to which a large farm is attached; Rush University, Holly Springs, Miss.; Central Tennessee College, Nashville; New Orleans University; and Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark. At the Gammon School of Theology, Atlanta, Ga., a full course of instruction in that department is given.

Missionary Societies.-The General Missionary Committee met in New York city November 9. The bishops of the Church present presided in their turns at the several sessions. The treasurer reported that the total receipts of the society from all sources for the year ending October 31 had been $1,044,796, being an increase over the previous year's receipts of $52,677; of this sum the conference collections amounted to $932,209, or $95,616 more than the amount of the corresponding collections in the preceding year; but the receipts from legacies had decreased by $98,114. Among the especial gifts was real estate in Indiana valued at $130,000, to be held subject to annuities during the lives of the donors. In addition to these amounts received by the "parent society," the Methodist Episcopal Church had contributed during the year to the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society about $195,000; to the Woman's Home Missionary Society, about $60,000; and to the Transit and Building Fund for Bishop Taylor's missions, $63,079; making the total amount of offerings to the cause of missions, $1,362,875.

The following table gives what an address by the committee to the members of the church describes as an "approximate but inadequate" representation of the condition of the missions in the foreign field:

The number of missionaries, assistant missionaries,
helpers, and native workers exceeds
Members of the Church..
Probationers
Adherents

Sunday-schools.

Sunday-school officers and teachers Value of church and school property.

Sunday-school scholars.

1.800

42.000

14,000

40,000

1,575

4,8-5

2,800,000 $85,000

mate means, strive to promote the spirit of brotherly kindness among all who hold the Christian faith, as expounded by our venerable founder. While affirming its unabated confidence in the essential principles of the government of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and while believing that any attempt to promote organic union is not at present desirable, the Conference is of opinion that by mutual forbearance and consideration some at least of the waste of labor and re

sources caused by the needless multiplication of Methodist Chapels might be prevented. The Conference therefore appoints a committee, which shall meet during the year, to consider and report as to the way by which the waste and friction in the actual working

of the various sections of the Methodist Church may be lessened or prevented, and brotherly love pro

moted.

On the meeting of the Representative Conference, an equal number of laymen were added to the Committee. On the report of a committee on the relation of baptized children to the Church, the Conference, in view of the diversity of opinion on the subject, decided that it would not at present make additional regulations. A series of resolutions were offered, directing that persons attending the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in connection with the Wesleyan Church, should have their names entered on the class-books, and should be expected to conform to the rules and discipline of the Church; but that attendance at the class-meeting should not be absolutely required as a test of membership. The mover explained that the design of the resolutions was not to impair the class-meeting, but to meet the case of those who for any reason could not meet in class, and yet had on various grounds a claim to be recognized as members of the Methodist Church. The whole subject was referred to a committee to meet during the year. A report of the Home Mission Committee, recommending the extension of the system of employing lay agents, and proposing plans for more active promotion of Methodist work in villages, was approved. A proposal to change the time of the meeting of the Pastoral Session, so that it shall not anticipate the meeting of the representative session of the Conference, was referred to a committee for consideration, lest, if it were passed unadvisedly, the Conference should, by the change, be in future illegally constituted. Proposals for improving the religious education given in the day schools, and for securing a more regular examination in religious knowledge, were ordered to be sent for consideration to the district meetings and school committees. In the matter of help to students in the Theological Institution, it was resolved to encourage those who have means to pay for their education, while still giving aid to poor men who feel called to the work. The Committee on the Preparation of a Catechism of Methodist History and Polity was reappointed.

Colonial Conferences.-The West Indian Conference includes 69 itinerant ministers, 560 local preachers, and 45,124 members.

The South African Conference had, at the time of its meeting in April, 170 itinerant min

isters, 1,477 local preachers, 60 evangelists, 24,280 full members, 8,002 members on trial, 2,961 in junior society classes; 307 Sundayschools, with 1,809 teachers and 19,377 pupils; 234 day-schools, with 346 teachers and 15,042 pupils; 102,056 attendants on worship; and 380 churches and chapels, and 1,012 other preaching-places.

The statistical reports made to the New Zealand Conference at its meeting in 1887, showed that during the past four years 2,341 members, 62 churches and preaching-places, and 6,441 attendants on public worship had been added. The Church now numbered 50,000 adherents. A bequest of £3,000 had been received from a member of the Episcopal Church, and was divided equally between the Loan fund and the Theological Institute. The sum of £2,800 had been raised for home missions. Four Maoris were ordained to the ministry. Resolutions were passed expressing an ardent desire for the union of the Methodist Churches of New Zealand, and for the separation of the New Zealand Conferences from the group of conferences constituting the Australasian Methodist Church. The following action, which, however, has no mandatory force, but merely expresses the feeling of the Conference, was taken with reference to the troubles in Tonga:

1. The Conference deplores the present unhappy divisions which have rent the Methodist Church of Tonga, and trusts that measures may be speedily devised for the restoration of the unity of the church in that district.

2. With a view to the attainment of this desirable end, the Conference recommends the Missionary Committee and the New South Wales and Queensland Conference to make overtures to the Free Church of Tonga for the holding of a friendly conference, comcommittee and Conference, for the purpose of discussposed of representatives of that church, and of the said ing the terms and conditions of organic union between the Wesleyan Church and the Free Church of Tonga, the proposed united church to be constituted an annual Wesleyan Methodist Church. conference for the Friendly Islands of the Australasian

VII. Primitive Methodist Church.-Statistics of this church were presented to the Conference in June, of which the following is a summary: Number of members, 191,663; of ministers, 1,038; of local or lay preachers, 16,138; of Connectional and other places of worship, 5,855; of hearers, 552,506; of Sunday-schools, 4,065, with 60,671 teachers and 410,950 pupils; value of Connectional property, £2,999,762.

The income of the Superannuated Ministers, Widows, and Orphans' fund for the year had exceeded £7,400. With this sum the committee had paid £5,150 to superannuated ministers and £1,700 to ministers' widows; a considerable amount had gone to assist orphans. The income of the Book Concern had been, including the small balance from the previous year, £34,000. Out of the profits of its business the Book Committee had given £3,300 to the Superannuated Ministers, Widows, and Orphans' fund, and other sums to various be

nevolent purposes. The new Book Depot fund had £6,793 toward its new premises. The Insurance Society had accumulated a capital of more than £10,000, and returned clear profits for the year amounting to £1,500. The directors had given £500 to aid distressed chapels, and a large sum had been carried over as a reserve fund.

The sixty-eighth annual Conference of the Primitive Methodist Connection met in Scarborough, June 8. The Rev. Thomas Whitehead was chosen president. A question arose on the filling up of vacancies in the Deed Poll, as to whether the Conference was bound unconditionally by the principle of seniority in choosing members of that body. Being the really legal body of the Connection, its functions are of great importance; and many members of the Conference thought that other than very aged members of the Connection might give it a more efficient character. Counsel who had been consulted had decided that the principle of seniority must be observed. The Conference determined to adhere to the rule of seniority for the present, and reserve the subject for future fuller consideration. A committee was appointed to consider applications for the constitution of new circuits; its chief purpose being to act as a check and to meet apprehensions which were expressed that "inconsiderate and perilous breakings up of large and powerful circuits into small stations might, in some cases, result injuriously." The term during which a Connectional office may be held was extended, in cases of exceptional fitness, from five to seven years. It was decided that legislation enacted by the Conference shall in future take effect at once, without waiting for the interval of a year, heretofore required. A "Primitive Methodist Chapel Aid Association, Limited," was sanctioned. A resolution was adopted condemning the "Coercion Bill" for Ireland. The Conference decided to establish an orphanage at Arlesford, where an eligible estate has been acquired on advantageous terms. The committee was recommended to consider the practicability of opening a new mission in the region of the Zambesi.

Resolutions have been passed by the Moonter Primitive Methodist District Meeting in Australia asking for the organization of a separate Australian Conference, and favoring an organic union of the minor Methodist bodies of the Australian continent; and, to further the latter object, a committee was appointed to consult with committees of other Methodist bodies on the subject.

VIII. United Methodist Free Churches.-The following is a summary of the numerical returns of this Connection as made to the Annual Assembly in July: Number of itinerant ministers, 383; of supernumeraries, 36; of local preach ers, 3,313; of leaders, 4,056; of church-members, 76,611; of members on trial, 8,324; of chapels and preaching-rooms, 1,574; of Sun

day-schools, 1,357, with 26,612 teachers and 200,706 pupils.

The income of the Chapel Relief fund had been £1,046. The capital of the Chapel Loan fund was £11,405. The sum of £40,748 had been raised during the year for the purposes of the chapel schedule. The capital of the Superannuation and Benevolent fund amounted to £34,845; its income for the year had been £7,750, and 56 annuitants were its beneficiaries. The assets of Asheville College were returned at £18,100 and its liabilities at £7,683. The Theological Institute returned a capital or Endowment fund of £772. The capital of the Book-Room amounted to £6,260; its income for the year had been £9,262 and its disbursements £8,738. The sales had amounted to £6,077. The income on account of the Missionary fund had been £21,946, and the outlay £21,492.

The annual meeting in behalf of the United Methodist Free Churches' Home and Foreign Missions was held April 25. The income for the year had been £22,248, and the expenditure £20,805. The East African Mission had suffered seriously at the beginning of the year by the murder of the Rev. John Haughton and his wife, missionaries, and twenty-one natives belonging to the station at Golbanti, in the Galla country, by the Masai. A net increase of 456 members was reported on the foreign stations (Australia, 348; Jamaica, 151; New Zealand, 22; while East Africa showed no change, and China showed a decrease of 4 and Sierra Leone of 61).

The Annual Assembly of the United Methodist Free Churches met in Louth, July 5. The Rev. James S. Balmer was chosen president. Many memorials had been received on the subject of union of the Methodist bodies, and considered by the Connectional Committee. A resolution was adopted by the Conference expressing satisfaction at the friendly feeling existing among the Methodist bodies, and the hope that this would lead to further co-operation and closer union; and the matter was referred to the Connectional Committee, with authority to take such steps in the matter as it might deem desirable. A favorable report was made of the working of the "Evangelistic Scheme," and modifications of the existing regulations were made, which, it was thought, would promote its greater efficiency.

IX. Methodist New Connection.-The following is a summary of the statistics of this denomination, as they were reported to the Conference in June: Number of chapels, 193; of local preachers, 1.282; of churches, 1,282; of church members, 30,096; of probationers, 4,603; number of Sunday-schools, 452, with 11,116 teachers and 84,410 pupils.

The income of the Paternal fund was returned as having been above £3,000, and a balance in hand of £780 was reported. The expenditures of the Chapel and Loan fund had been £22,500. The income for missionary