The invitation to hold the next Annual Meeting in Northampton, Massachusetts, was accepted.
President George A. Gates, of Iowa College, addressed the Association, and was followed by an address by President Cyrus Northrop, D.D., of Minnesota, and also by President E.D. Eaton, D.D., of Wisconsin.
The closing address of the Association was made by President Taylor.
The following minute read by Secretary Roy was then adopted:
When, just eighteen years ago, this city was smoldering in the ruins of the great fire, which had consumed the holy and beautiful house of this New England Church and the homes of every family in it, the pastor, searching among the ashes within these walls for some memento, found a charred leaf of the pulpit hymn-book on which he was able to decipher these words:
"Daughter of Zion, awake from the dust,
Exalt thy fallen head:
Rebuild thy walls, thy bounds enlarge,
And send thy heralds forth."
That hymn was sung at the first service in the rough board tabernacle erected upon this spot.
We give thanks to God this day for the faith and courage by which this people did awake from the dust and rebuild these walls, and by which they have gone on building up their spiritual temple and participating largely in the whole round of service for extending the Redeemer's kingdom, a part of which has been the inviting and the welcoming of this missionary convocation to their sanctuary and to their homes, and for which, to them, along with all others in the sister churches who have joined them on this occasion in exercising this grace of hospitality, we express our heartiest thanks.
We here call to mind with grateful emotion one of the manliest of men, one of the truest disciples of Christ, Dea. C.G. Hammond, who counted it an honor to have ministered at this altar from the day of its setting up to the day of his translation, and who for many years had served as one of the Vice-Presidents of this Association, and had been giving largely of his substance to its treasury.
At this closing hour, we are also thankfully reminded that the First Congregational Church of this city was ready thirty years ago to entertain this Association in the days of its weakness and of its cross-bearing witness for Christ and for his lowly poor: and likewise, ten years ago, to open its doors to receive the same body then brought along by the providence of God to a position of honor and extended usefulness.
And so we gratefully name the Union Park Church, which is now lending us its pastor as one of our Vice-Presidents, and which, with the other two churches mentioned, has furnished us with the three grand annual sermons of Drs. Goodwin, Noble, and Little, and the Plymouth Church, which, from the day of its organization, with its testimony and its offerings, has stood by this Association, and all the other churches of this vicinage, grown now to be such a comely sisterhood, which have shared with these others in the support of our work.
To the four great railway passenger associations, which have extended to us their courtesies; to the city press, which has so immensely broadened the influence of this missionary convocation; to the gentlemen who, at no small sacrifice of time and labor, have honored this occasion by their addresses, reports, and clerical service; and to our honored and beloved President, who has guided our deliberations with such skill and grace, we express our obligations of thanks.
Rev. Norman Seaver, D.D., responded for the New England Church. He said there was a saying that lightning never struck the same place twice, yet, though it fell to him to welcome the Association, it had also fallen to him to respond to this vote of thanks. He had asked Secretary Beard what he would say on this occasion, and was answered, in his witty way, "Tell us Godspeed, and we are glad to get rid of you." Dr. Seaver felt that the local people were the recipients, and the visitors the benefactors in what had been done. The President had inspired them with his spirit; he had not withdrawn his presence, and very late might he return to the heavens. Students and young ministers had been benefited by listening to those many learned men and devoted servants of God, and were inspired for future usefulness. "We are not the benefactors, we are the recipients, and we wish you Godspeed."
After having sung the doxology, with the benediction by President Taylor, the Association adjourned, to meet at Northampton, Massachusetts, for its next Annual Meeting.
J.C. ARMSTRONG, }
E.S. WILLIAMS, } Secretaries.
SUMMARY OF TREASURER'S REPORT
THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION—ITS PLACE AND WORK
We commemorate the forty-third anniversary of the American Missionary Association. During these years, its place and work have become somewhat definitely settled, and I take this occasion to set forth the position that it now holds in relation to its constituents, its sister societies, and the great work providentially thrown upon it.
1. The Association recognizes the control of its constituents. That recognition was one of the corner-stones on which it was founded. It sought its members and its funds from persons of evangelical faith and practical morality. Of such, it offered membership to any one who contributed to its funds. Thus broadly was it placed on a popular basis.
At length, however, it began to be felt by many of its supporters that there were evils in this method—that the acts of the society were liable to be regulated by the local attendance at each annual meeting, and that such meetings might easily be "packed" to carry out a purpose. The officers of the Association, true to the cardinal principles of its founders of control by its constituents, welcomed the discussion and cheerfully accepted the present constitution, which was adopted after due deliberation. That constitution designates as voters, life members and delegates from the churches, local conferences and state associations. The Executive Committee believe that we have now reached a satisfactory basis, but if it shall be the will of the constituents to make further modifications hereafter, the fundamental principle of the Association will dictate a ready acceptance of any change that will not set aside the evangelical, missionary, and philanthropic basis on which the Association was founded, and that will not impair contracts or endanger invested funds. The Association belongs, under Christ, to its constituents.
2. The work of the Association embraces all forms of effort in both the church and the school. It was organized and chartered as a missionary society. This was its fundamental aim. It was not till 1869, twenty-three years after its organization, that the word "educational" was put into its charter. But this change did not alter the character of its work—the school is missionary, the church an educator—and this church and school work are inseparably blended. The people among whom it labors are children in knowledge, and will remain so for a long time, for there are millions of blacks, mountain whites, Indians, and Chinese in our country who cannot read and write. In Northern communities where the children grow up in Christian homes and are environed in cultured society, with the best of common schools, the church finds the material for its membership, so far forth, prepared to its hand, but among these millions of unlettered peoples the church, if it is to be pure and intelligent, must be the outgrowth of the Christian school; and the branches of the tree might as well be expected to grow up without the roots, as such churches without these schools. The work among them begins in the primary school, and follows them through all departments of industrial, normal, collegiate and theological instruction.
In all this long process the teachers are