MISSIONS
365
MISSIONS
year more than 800 excellent people, constrained by the love of Christ, aided the home missionary ministers iu the work iu which they were engaged.
'Primitive Methoiliat JUisnionan/ tivcietij.— Its ■—
may be divided into Home, Colonial, and Foreign, all of which are prosecuted with viLjor. Besides supplying many neglected districts in England, Wales, Scntianrl, niid Irehuid with plain, faithful preachers ..fthc (iosiicl, it iia-^ sent forth foreign missionaries to Bnii-h .Nmih Auiciira, Australia, Western and Southern Aliica, and simuc .hIk !■ distant lauds. The success which has ulnauly ati.aal.'d the eftbrts of the society is very encouragiui;, and it l.ids fair to taive its full share of labor in seeking to cvaii'j( li/c tlie heathen at home and abroad. The niiuiber cd Hll^- gionaries employed iu England is y-2; in Wales, S ; in Ire- land, 7; in Scotland, 7; in circuits, '.» ; in Victoria, 7; in New South Wales, 15; in Queensland, 4: in Tasmania, 4; iu New Zealand, 4 ; in Canada, 51 ; in ^\'este^n Africa, ■> : iu Southern Africa, 1 ; total, 211. The total number of stations is 143, and of members, 13,S9S.
" Minor British Missionary Societies.— In addition to the leading missionary societies of the United Kingdom which carry on the work of propagating the Gospel in heathen countries on a large scale in variotis ])aits of the globe, there are several minor institutions which have l)een made very nseful, notwithstandinu' lb'' (■oiii|iaiatiMdy limited sphere of their influence. 'I'lir-i' as-^ni iaiinn-^ have gen- erally been organized for sjniial olijcci-^ or single mis- sions, and have been condurinl wiih \aiicd irsults, ac- cording to circumstances. Of these the following may be mentioned :
" IIV/.s/i Ciilriiii^tif Methodist Forciijii j]fissiiwari/ Societi/. —The tiist Ibieiuii mission of the Welsh Calvinislic Meth- odists was to the noitli-i'ast district of Bengal, among the Kassias, one <d' the Inll-tiilies of natives. This work was nnderlakeii soon alier the Ibrmation of the society (1S40), and about ten years subsequently, in I'sfiU, another -tation was commenced at Sythet. The niissJMnaiies did not confine their labors to preaching and leai hinj; ; iliey also turned their attention to those literary similes which are so necessary to success in all evanL;<dieal eiloits in India. Messrs. Jones and LewN Mn-eeeiled in translating the I' an- Gospels and the Acts ol' ilie Apostles into the Kas-la lan- guage; nor did thev laina- wiihont sneee-s in their din-ct
eftbrts to turn the Ixaitheii IV ilainl. idols to ^,•rve the
true and living Goil. The Calviin.Mie .Methodists ha\e also established a niisshin in r.riiiany, the laiimiage of that part of the European continent being similar, it is said, to the Welsh. They have also a mission to the Jews, which has been prosecuted with as much success as could be expected considering tlie peculiar difficulties of the en- terprise.
" Evamiclical Continental Societii.— The object of this in- stitution is to disseminate the saving truths of the Gospel among the various nations of tlie European continent. Its principal fields of labor are France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Bohemia. Aljout X40tl0 per annum is raised and expended iu carrying on this work, and the results have so far been encouraging.
" The Foreign Aid Sucietij. — This association exists, not for the purpose of supporting and managing foreign mis- sions, but to aid such as have been established and are carried on by other societies, and es|)e<-ially for the main- tenance of Chvi-tian seho ds for the i raining of the rising generation, lis pijuiipal ^jjheres id' labor have hitherto been on the eoniineiiL of iOiiropc. In Fiance the work formerly aided by this society was inleriiiptcd during the prevalence of the late war, but in Italy the work of evan- gelization was vigorously i)rosecuted. At Naples no fewer than 500 children arc receiving instruction iu schools to which this society has regulaVly contributed assistance. In Madrid the church under the care of Setlor Carraso has been substantially assisted, and ii50 persons have been admitted to Church membershii).
" Veruacvlar Education Snciiiii for India. — This society was instituted in 1S53 as a memorial (d'the mutiiiv. and has for its object the providing of Christian vern'aeular education and literature for India. It has lis schools, with 512-2 scholars, who are instructed iu 113 difl'erent lan- guages, at a co^t of about Jc-swis i>er annum, and bids fair to be a powerful and useful auxiliary to the various mis- sionary societies whicli are laboring for the spread of the Gospel throughout tlie Indian empire.
'•\\l. Aniri icon Mi.su'nnarii Sncietie.i — American Board of Forei<jn J//.s.v/.i/(.v.— 1 his useful institution was organ- ized iu the month of June, 1810, under circumstances which clearly show the superintending providence of God in the interests of missionary work. A few years before a theological seminary had been established at Andover, Mass., for the support of which a Mr. Norris, of Salem, had presented a donation of $10,000, to be devoted to the education of missionaries. At the same time a gracious influence descended upon several of the students. turniiiLr their hearts esjieciallv to the sidijeet of Christian missions. One of these, Samuel Mills, ealied to mind witli feelin-s of deep emotion the words of his behned niotln r with reference to him: 'I have consecrated this child to the service of God as a missionary.' This young man shortly afterwards engaged with Gordon Hall and James Rich- mond iu conversation and prayer upon the subject of