The Rev. John A. Staunton Mission of St. Mary the Philippine Islands:

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writes from the Virgin, Sagada,

18

URING the last year and a half there have been 235 baptisms, 54 confirmations, 10 marriages, burials. There are 18 children in the mission school, and 279 communicants. There have been 5,750 medical and surgical cases. The influence of the mission is being felt upon the Igorots of this whole district. There has been a total of 752 baptisms since the mission was opened and in every way native life is being toned up. If our resources only keep pace with our opportunities there is every prospect that in a few years more the entire Igorot population of this district, numbering many thousands, will have been converted to Christianity under our auspices.

་

Bishop Strange, of East Carolina, writes:

IT is rare to look on such an ordina

tion as was witnessed by the congregation of St. Paul's Church, Clinton, on the morning of July 7th, when Alexander C. D. Noe and Walter Raleigh Noe were advanced to the priesthood. At that first solemn moment of the service, when the preacher turned directly to the deacons, and they stood up before him to receive his closing charge, I looked on a beautiful and impressive sight: two brothers standing together looking up at, and listening with open minds and loving hearts to, the earnest words of their own elder brother-three brothers, good men and true, in the sacred ministry of the Church. The preacher was the Rev. Thomas P. Noe, rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Wilmington, and editor of the Mission Herald.

"The Rev. Alexander D. Noe is rector of St. James's, Belhaven, and of the parish of St. George and missions in Hyde County. The Rev. Walter Raleigh Noe is rector of St. Paul's, Clinton, and of the missions in Burgaw, Wallace, War

INASMUCH as by the death of the Reverend Edmund R. Woodman, the American Church Mission in Japan and the Japanese Church have been greatly bereft, we, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of North Tokyo, in the Nippon Sei Ko Kwai, representing the Church in this diocese, desire hereby to place on record our thankfulness to Almighty God for the twenty-nine years of faithful and efficient service rendered to this Church and the people by our departed brother, and also to tender to his widow and children, in this their sad hour of bereavement, our warmest sympathy in their loss, which is not theirs only, but the loss of the whole Church in Japan. For many years a member of this committee, a professor in Trinity Divinityschool, Examining Chaplain, Treasurer of the Clergy Sustentation Fund, and in other capacities, he has labored long and abundantly, and in the closest and kindliest relations with us all. Be it therefore

Resolved: That a copy of the foregoing be sent to Mrs. Woodman, and that it be also published in THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS and in the Kirisutokyo Shubo. (Signed)

Jos. S. MOTODA, President. SADAJIRO SUGUIRA, Secretary. Tokyo, July 28th, 1909.

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HE Board of Missions met at the Church Missions House on Tuesday, September 28th, the Bishop of Albany presiding. The following members were present: The Bishops of Albany, New Jersey, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Chicago, Long Island, Newark and New York; the Rev. Drs. Eccleston, Vibbert, Anstice, Alsop, Perry, Stires, McKim, Parks, Mann, the Rev. Mr. Sedgwick and the Rev. Drs. Storrs, Smith, Page and the Rev. Mr. Miel; Messrs. Low, Goodwin, Mansfield, Admiral Mahan and Messrs. Butler, King, Morris, Pepper, Pruyn, Lyman and Ryerson; of the honorary members the Bishops of Porto Rico and Cuba. Of the Department representatives Mr. Charles G. Saunders of the First and Dr. Wm. Jay Schieffelin of the Second were present, as well as the Rev. Thomas J. Garland, secretary of Department Three, and the Rev. Dr. J. H. Hopkins, secretary of Department Five. The return to duty of the Associate Secretary after severe illness was heartily welcomed and the Board expressed its gratification that it might continue to have his valuable services.

The committee on the nomination of a General Secretary announced that it had requested Dr. Lloyd to permit his resignation to take effect on the day before his consecration. With regard to filling the vacancy thus created the committee reported that "in their judgment it is eminently unwise to attempt to make any election at this time.

"In the first place, it could only be a temporary election, because the Canon requires that at each General Convention a General Secretary shall be chosen by the two Houses of the Convention, and as the next General Convention will meet in October, 1910, it would be very

unjust and unfair to any man to ask him to take the place for this short time.

"Besides this, the committee is very much impressed with the fact that the office ought to be enlarged, both in its title and in its power, and they propose to ask the Board to appoint a committee to report a change of the Canon to the General Convention which will give the General Secretary a new name and make him what he certainly ought to be, the great inspiring presence and power of our entire missionary work, and to make possible, should it be thought desirable, the choice of a missionary bishop for the position.

"The office is so efficiently organized that the committee believes it can do its work without an additional secretary, and with the cheer and hope of financial conditions they believe it safe to let things go on as they are."

The Board approved the report of the committee and the chairman appointed the Bishop of Chicago, the Rev. Dr. Alsop and Messrs. Pepper and Butler as members of the committee to draft the suggested amendment to the Canon of the General Convention. By a later resolution the Board requested the special committee on the nomination of a General Secretary "to take into consideration the propriety of appointing a General Secretary ad interim to serve until a General Secretary is elected."

Mr. George Gordon King was unanimously elected Treasurer in succession to the late George C. Thomas. In accepting the election Mr. King expressed his deep appreciation of the trust reposed in him and his determination to do everything in his power to further the Church's work at home and abroad.

In reporting on the finances for the last fiscal year Assistant Treasurer Roberts announced that since it had been determined to keep the books open

until September 28th, in order that delayed offerings and gifts might be credited to last year's apportionment, it was impossible to make a detailed statement. He was, however, able to say that the income from all sources would be sufficient to meet the appropriations for the last year and cut down by about $15,000 the deficit of $48,500 with which the year began. Therefore the Church would enter upon a new missionary year with the finances in more satisfactory condition than when the year began. Last year forty-seven dioceses and missionary districts gave the full amount of their respective apportionments as compared with eighteen dioceses and missionary districts seven years ago when the apportionment plan was adopted by the General Convention. About seven hundred congregations from whom no offerings were received during the fiscal year 1907-08 sent offerings for the year just closed. This accounts in a large measure for the greatly improved financial showing. Many were led to do this because of their desire to show their appreciation of the work and example of Mr. Thomas.

The Board in expressing its gratitude for this achievement recorded "its deep appreciation of the fine spirit of cooperation manifested by the bishops and parochial clergy, without whose help the present result would have been impossible," and adopted a resolution requesting the parish clergy “to express to their congregations the Board's cordial thanks for the loyal co-operation which has changed a situation full of danger and anxiety into one full of confidence and courage."

The Board also expressed its appreciation of the services rendered by members of the Commission of Seven in helping to avert what in all probability threatened to be a disastrous situation.

The Assistant Treasurer announced that the offerings from the Sundayschools for the Lenten Offering for the past fiscal year amounted to $147,252.91 from over 3,900 schools as compared

with $137,170.58 from 3,800 schools for the preceding year. The General Seeretary was instructed to convey to the young people of the Church the thanks and appreciation of the Board for their continued and generous help.

In view of the hearty endorsement of its progressive policy given by the Church, the Board decided to act at once upon the urgent appeal made by the Committee on Domestic Missions and the Committee on Work among the Negroes. An additional $25,000 was appropriated for Church extension in the United States among white people and $29,500 for Church extension among Negroes.

The Board was informed that Mrs. George C. Thomas desired to give $100,000 as a fund in memory of Mr. Thomas, to be held in trust and the income only to be used for purposes at the discretion of the Board. The vice-president was requested to convey to Mrs. Thomas the hearty thanks of the Board for her gift and its assurance that her wishes would be complied with.

The Assistant Treasurer reported to the Board that its late Treasurer had created three trusts to be held by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society-one of $100,000, the income to be used for the purposes of the Society; one of $50,000. to be used to increase the efficiency of the work done by the Society; and one of $15,000, to be used to further in any way that the Board might think best the Lenten Offerings of the Sunday-school

The Assistant Treasurer was also able to give particulars concerning the large bequest of Miss Mary Rhinelander King. Under her will the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, in addition to being residuary legatee, will receive a valuable piece of property in New York City, to be held in trust and the net income therefrom to be used for the general work. Miss King also created two funds-one of $20,000 and one of $10,000, to be held by the Board and the income to be applied to Colored missions. Eventually the Society will receive Miss King's country estate on Long Island,

with liberty to dispose of it and use the proceeds for its corporate purposes.

The Assistant Treasurer pointed out that in spite of these generous gifts it would be inaccurate to assume that the invested funds of the Society make steadily increasing offerings from living donors unnecessary. The income available for general purposes from all trust funds is now about $100,000, while the appropriations for the present fiscal year are more than $1,100,000.

Upon the recommendation of its special committee the Board decided to reenact the table of apportionments to the dioceses as for the last fiscal year with the exception of a slight change to correct an obvious error in the apportionment to the Diocese of California. The total apportionment for the present fiscal year will be as last, approximately $658,000. The offerings from congregations and individuals on account of the apportionment for the year 1908-09 fell short of this amount by about $120,000.

In order that the Church may share in the help expected from the conferences and conventions to be held during the winter under the auspices of the Laymen's Missionary Movement in seventy-five of the principal cities of the United States, the Board requested thirty laymen to form a nucleus of a committee of one hundred laymen, representing dioceses in different parts of the country, to take steps to insure the attendance of Churchmen at these gatherings and to organize them for aggressive work thereafter.

The Board had before it many letters from bishops in the domestic field with regard to arrangements for the new fiscal year, and wherever necessary favorable action was taken. The letters received during the summer from the bishops abroad indicated that steady progress is being maintained. Bishop Graves reported that he had succeeded in purchasing about twelve acres of property adjoining the grounds of St. John's University, at a cost of $15,000. Upon this land it is proposed to erect a new preparatory building for St. John's,

with teachers' residences and a school for the training of catechists. A special appeal was authorized to secure the money with which to provide for this purchase.

Numerous requests for reinforcements were also before the Board. Clergy are urgently needed in Porto Rico, China and Japan; physicians in Japan and the Philippines; nurses in the Philippines, Porto Rico and China, while St. Paul's College, Tokyo, St. John's University, Shanghai, and Boone University, Wuchang, need laymen to take important posts on their faculties. Women teachers are needed in St. Mary's, Shanghai, and St. Hilda's, Wuchang.

The Board learned with great regret of the death of the Rev. E. R. Woodman, our senior missionary in Japan, on July 22d; of the death of Miss Mabel A. Protheroe, of the African Mission, August 11th, and that of Mrs. Schereschewsky, widow of the late Bishop Schereschewsky, on August 20th, at her home in Tokyo.

on

The Board also accepted with regret, because of illness, the resignations of the Rev. D. W. Bland, of Porto Rico, Miss Lillis Crummer, of Shanghai, and Miss Mary Humphrey, of the Philippines. The resignation of Dr. B. M. Platt, of the Philippines, who has entered the government service, was also accepted; and, at the request of the Bishops of Alaska and Hankow, the names of the Rev. John B. Driggs, M.D., and Miss Rebecca R. Halsey were removed from the list of missionaries.

The election by the Council of the Seventh Missionary Department of the Rev. H. Percy Silver to be Department Secretary was approved.

Miss Grace Lindley was appointed assistant to the Secretary of the Woman's Auxiliary, with duties at the Church Missions House.

The Board having received from the recent Conference of Church Workers among the Colored People a renewal of its previous request for the appointment of a field secretary, replied that it was not prepared at this time to reconsider

the decision of last winter not to appoint such an officer.

The committee on missionary meetings reminded the Board that during the past year there have been many evidences that the Church as a whole has realized its missionary privilege and obligation as never before and as a result has been led to attempt and to accomplish tasks that a few years ago would have seemed impossible. It therefore recommended and the Board adopted the following resolution:

Resolved: That the bishops be requested to set apart in their respective dioceses and districts the Second Sunday in Advent, December 5th, 1909, as a day of thanksgiving for the goodness of Almighty God in leading the Church to a more adequate conception of her mission and in enabling her to undertake and achieve larger things for the glory of God and the welfare of His children.

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MISSIONARY
SPEAKERS

OR the convenience of those ar-
ranging missionary meetings,
the following list of clergy and
other missionary workers avail-

able as speakers is published:

When no address is given, requests for the services of these speakers should be addressed to the Corresponding Secretary, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York.

Department Secretaries

Department 1. Cared for at present by secretaries at the Church Missions House.

Department 2. Cared for at present by secretaries at the Church Missions House.

Department 3. The Rev. Thomas J. Garland, Secretary, Church House, Philadelphia.

Departments 4 and 7. The Rev. R. W. Patton, care of the Rev. C. B. Wilmer, D.D., 412 Courtland Street, Atlanta, Ga. Department 5. The Rev. John Henry