year.

At the close of the term, the promotions were made in all grades by the principal, and the pupils given the "forms" they are to occupy the coming year. In truth, the formal "Commencement" for the year was made at the close of this session. Every pupil knows exactly his grade and place, and few will be absent at the opening, October first.

AVERY INSTITUTE, CHARLESTON, S.C.

Anniversary week of this Institute is always an occasion of the deepest interest to the colored people of Charleston and vicinity; and those who succeed in obtaining tickets of admission to Avery Hall consider themselves most fortunate. This year proved no exception, and the demand for tickets, and the enthusiasm of those in attendance, have never been surpassed in the history of the school.

The exercises throughout the week were of a high order. The Sub-Normal Exhibition and the Prize-Speaking Contest by the normal classes were unanimously declared to be the best ever given in Avery. At the commencement on Wednesday, every foot of space within sight or hearing of the platform was filled by intelligent and appreciative listeners. Eleven graduates—ten ladies and one gentleman—received the diploma of the Institute and joined the hundreds who have preceded them in the grand work of elevating their race.

THE NEW CHURCH AND SCHOOL AT ALCO, ALA.

BY REV. R.C. BEDFORD.

Brewton is the county seat of Escambia County, Alabama. It is on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, one hundred and six miles north of Montgomery, and seventy-four north of Mobile. It has a population of about two thousand five hundred, and is quite thrifty. Alco is a mile and a half further south, on the same road, and is a nice little village of five or six hundred people, that has grown up within the last three years, and almost wholly out of the Peters Lumber Company. The property of the Company consists of one of the largest and finest mills in the South, with nearly 200,000 acres of yellow pine surrounding it. Some three hundred colored men, most of them with families, are employed in the various operations of the mills. Mr. Peters is engaged most of the time in his large lumber and salt interests at Manistee, Mich., but comes South two or three times a year to look after the business at Alco. From the first, it was the purpose of the Company to do something to improve the church and school facilities of the colored people, and last spring, while Mrs. Peters was spending a few weeks at Alco, she had a building 35x60 erected, and nicely arranged for church and school purposes. This she turned over to the American Missionary Association, and they at once sent down Rev. W.P. Hamilton, of Talladega, to open a school and begin preaching. The second Sunday in June, he was joined by Prof. G.W. Andrews, of Talladega, Rev. R.C. Bedford, of Montgomery, and Rev. F.G. Ragland and Deacon Godbold of Mobile, to assist him in dedicating the building.

Though but little was known of Congregationalism in that part of the country, the services were entered into most heartily by all classes of the people. Most of the ministers at Brewton, in charge of colored churches, closed their places of worship and joined with us, partaking in the services, and speaking with great delight of the coming of an educated preacher and teacher among them.

Mr. Hamilton starts off with over fifty pupils in Sunday and day school, and hopes soon to have members enough so that he can take steps to call a council and organize a church. The brethren of Alabama are greatly encouraged by this movement. Heretofore we have had no church or school between Montgomery and Mobile, one hundred and eighty miles. Now the distance is divided, Alco standing about half way between the two places.

CHILDREN'S DAY.

BY REV. J.E. SMITH.

The 9th of June last was a grand day for the young people in the First Congregational Church at Chattanooga. The church was tastefully decorated with appropriate Scripture mottoes, choice evergreens, beautiful flowers and sweet singing canaries. There was present a large number of adults and a larger number of clean, sweet, hopeful children, and many laughing, cooing babes in the arms of their Christian parents, who like faithful Hannah and good Mary of old, had brought their babes to the house of God to present them to the Lord. After the rendering of a beautiful voluntary by the organist, the whole congregation joined in singing that grand hymn, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" The pastor then read a few passages of Scripture selected for the occasion, giving a short comment on the same, and prayed for God's blessing on the young. While the congregation joined heartily in singing, "Heavenly Father, send Thy blessing, On Thy children gathered here," Christian parents who desired to present their offspring to the Lord, having been invited, came forward and stood before the altar with their little ones in their arms. Six bright-eyed, innocent babes were, on the faith of their believing parents, consecrated to God in the Christian ordinance of infant baptism. It was a most beautiful, pleasing and impressive service.

After singing, "Take my life and let it be, Consecrated, Lord, to Thee," the pastor invited all children, calling them by name, who were ten years of age and had been baptized in the church when infants, to come forward. The church, then, through its pastor, at a cost of twenty-three dollars, presented to each child, (nineteen in number) a beautiful, well-bound copy of the Bible, with the following written on the fly leaf: "This Bible was presented to —— by the First Congregational Church at Chattanooga, in commemoration of his infant consecration to God at her sacred altar, by his Christian parents. John 5:39."

After taking a collection of ten dollars and twenty-four cents for the Congregational Sunday-school and Publishing Society, we sang "God be with you till we meet again," and the benediction was pronounced. Thus, a very interesting and we trust profitable service of an hour and twenty minutes was ended.

THE INDIANS.

LETTER FROM MISS COLLINS.

No facts in this field can be of more interest to the readers of the MISSIONARY than those contained in the following thrilling account of the conversion of three young Indians in Miss Collins' mission field. We give the facts as written by this self-sacrificing missionary.

Last Sabbath, Mr. Riggs came up from Oahe and we had communion, and there were five children baptized and seven grown people, and seven more were examined and advised to wait till the next communion. It was a most interesting season.

Three of the young men were the leaders in the Indian dance. They have always been the head ones in all Indian customs. A year ago, one of them said in the dance that he should follow the Indian customs a year longer—give himself up to them wholly and try to be satisfied, and if he had in his heart the same unsatisfied feeling, the same longing, that he then had, he should throw it all away.

On last New Year's day, the same young man, "Huntington Wolcott," came to me and said—"Last night I arose in the dance and told them that I had given the old customs and the old Indians a fair trial, and that they did not satisfy, now I should leave them forever and give myself to God, and if any others were ready to follow to arise and so make it known. The other two leaders arose, stood silently a moment, and walked out." From that time they have given themselves up to singing, praying and