School.

At McIntosh, Ga., land and buildings have been bought for the enlargement of this historic, successful and intensely interesting school.

At Woodville, Ga., the church and school building which had been nearly wrecked, first by the Charleston earthquake and then by a cyclone, has been made solid and comfortable.

At Byron, Ga., land has been bought and preparations have been made for a church building.

At Fairbanks, Fla., a school building and lot worth $2,500 have been given to us by Mrs. Merrill, of Bangor, Me., on condition that we maintain a school there.

At Marion, Ala., we have refitted a large dwelling for a greatly needed school building.

At New Decatur, Ala., a new church building is about completed.

At Tougaloo, Miss., the large Girls' Hall, owing to the peculiarities of the soil—alluvium, 300 feet deep—unknown when it was built, had been crushing its foundations into the ground until it was on the point of falling. Our own missionary and student force lifted it up, put under it new foundations and repaired it in every part. At a cost of between $4,000 and $5,000, they saved a $15,000 building which engineers and contractors pronounced a hopeless wreck.

At Jackson, Miss., our church has been nicely seated with new pews.

At Hammond, La., a new church building has been erected.

At Straight University, a new industrial building has been put up with student labor, and a small greenhouse has been built. For a long time the need of enlargement there has been felt, and a lot near the present buildings has been bought, on which is to be a school house for the primary and intermediate grades.

At the Fort Berthold Mission, North Dakota, a new church, school and mission home building has been built and named the Moody Station, after the giver of the money which built it; also a small church building at Moody Station No. 2.

At Standing Rock a new school, church and mission building—called after the donor, the Sankey Station—has been erected. At Fort Yates, we report a new church building—the Darling Memorial.

These are the most important enlargements and improvements. Of course, there are many other smaller ones throughout our large field.

[pg 316]

WOMAN'S WORK.

Twenty-six Woman's State Organizations now co-operate with us in our missionary work. Each year shows the increasing importance and helpfulness of the Woman's Bureau. From it go counsel, help and inspiration to the lady teachers in the field, and missionary news and helpful suggestions to the ladies of the State Associations. Through it pass the sympathy and the help of the earnest workers in the older churches to the earnest workers in our mission churches and schools. The people for whom we labor cannot be saved either for this world or the next, unless the women who make the homes are lifted out of coarseness and vice, and taught true womanhood and womanly duties and arts. The Woman's Bureau is a most potent factor in the work of bringing the Gospel to the rescue of womanhood in our mission fields.

FINANCES.

It is with devout gratitude to God that we present these figures, showing that we have been enabled during the past year to meet all current expenditures, to liquidate the indebtedness of last year and to show a balance of over four thousand dollars now in the treasury. This result is not only gratifying in respect to the past, but it is hopeful in respect to the future. We trust the constituents of the Association, who are so deeply interested in the success of the work entrusted to us, will see to it that the coming year shall terminate as favorably as this.

DANIEL HAND FUND.

In addition to the above receipts, the Association has received from Daniel Hand the munificent gift of one million eight hundred and ninety-four dollars and twenty-five cents ($1,000,894.25) to be known as the Daniel Hand Fund for The Education of Colored People. The income only of this Fund is to be used. The amount received as income from this Fund for the nine months to September 30, is $36,999.71. This amount is not included in the current receipts stated above, but is a Special Fund and has been appropriated under the terms and conditions of the Trust. From this income we have not only aided more than three hundred students who otherwise would not have had the privilege of attending any school, but have also greatly enlarged our school accommodations at Chapel Hill and Beaufort, N.C., Phoenix, S.C., Thomasville and McIntosh, Ga., Selma, Ala., and New Orleans, La. Another year will afford opportunities to a much greater number of pupils, and will still further enlarge our school facilities [pg 317] in the special lines of work contemplated by this gift. It was a noble gift from a noble man and it will do a noble work.

The overwhelming majority of the Southern Negroes are still found in the rural districts, where schools are few and far apart. It is expected that the gift of Daniel Hand will take educational privileges to thousands of these in the country and on the plantations, who but for this must have lived as in the blackness of night.

It has been found that with the West ever growing, and Congregational churches multiplying, the field of our Western District Secretary was too large for him possibly to cover it all. Hence this immense district has been divided, and another has been established with its centre at Cleveland, Ohio. Rev. C.W. Hiatt, a graduate of Wheaton College and Oberlin Seminary, has been placed in charge of this district, and has already entered upon the work. We bespeak for him a hearty welcome from the churches.

Prof. Edward S. Hall, a graduate of Amherst College and a teacher of long and successful experience, has been chosen a Field Superintendent for the Southern work, and entered upon his duties at the beginning of our year.

We again make grateful acknowledgment of our indebtedness to the American Bible Society for its grants of Bibles, and to the Congregational Sunday-school and Publishing Society for its grants of books and lesson helps, to our poorer churches and Sunday-schools.

This much we report. But how little can figures and words present the needs of these great fields. How little idea can they convey of the extent of the work done by our earnest, self-sacrificing, faithful and able missionaries.

We turn from the past to the future. The work attempted and done is great, the work unattempted and not done is far greater. Should every church and individual in the land double last year's contribution this year, we would be compelled still to leave greatly needed work undone. In view of boundless opportunities, we can ask no less of the churches than that which the recent National Council at Worcester recommended—five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the work of the coming year. Brethren, with more prayer, more consecration and more self-denial let us take up together this vast work and these difficult problems which God has set before us.

[pg 318]

THE CHINESE.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR.

BY REV. WM. C. POND, D.D.

Our fiscal year ended August 31st. To a stranger looking on as I close its accounts, there might be nothing visible but an array of figures "dry as dust." But if that