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ren lately sent out. It has a membership of nearly one thousand individuals, of whom one hundred and fifty are natives, who, until the last two years, were worshiping gods of wood, and stone, and clay.

"There are thirteen day-schools within the bounds of the mission, in which from five hundred and fifty to six hundred children receive daily instruction; fourteen churches, some of which are very neat, and one built of stone, in size forty by sixty feet. There are also eight mission-houses or parsonages, four school-houses, one of which (the academy) is a stone building twenty by forty feet; and a large printing-office, also of stone, with an excellent press. In the schools there are upward of forty native children and youth, who are preparing for future usefulness. Many of them read the Scriptures, and write well, and are burning with zeal to carry the Gospel to regions yet beyond them.

"Tribes at a distance have sent for missionaries, and the Board is anxious to push the victories of the cross still further into the interior. If means can be furnished, the Board expect a vast amount of native agency will be called into operation. If the society were able to thrust forth but a few scores of such young men of Africa as Simon Peter, who recently visited this country, the Liberia mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church would be rendered a blessing to thousands of the African race yet unborn." In view of the success which has attended this mission, the report exhorted the church to adhere to the motto of the dying and lamented Cox: "Though a thousand fall, Africa must not be given up.'

The chairman introduced the Rev. John Seys, superintendent of the African mission, who rose and spoke substantially as follows:

"Mr. Chairman, I hold in my hand a resolution given to me for presentation to the society, with a request that I would make some remarks in sustaining it."

He then read the following resolution: "Resolved, That the Liberia mission, including as it does a portion of the interior of Western Africa, constitutes one of the most promising fields for missionary enterprise; and that the touching appeals from the half-awakened natives of different tribes which have reached us through our missionaries, while they proclaim the ripeness of the harvest, imperatively call upon the Church for the requisite supply of efficient laborers."

"I presume this resolution was assigned to me on account of my connexion with the Liberia mission. I can say it affords me much pleasure to present such a resolution. Years have now elapsed since I stood among you-since I was sent by you as an almoner of the Gospel to poor, long-neglected Africa.

* Since dead.

"The resolution speaks of Africa as one of the most promising fields of missionary enterprise. Is it so? Yes, sir, it is so. And if the missionary sickle be but applied, the field will yield a rich and noble harvest to the Church. Out of one thousand church members, one hundred and fifty are native converts. But two years ago I found them bowing down to images of wood, and clay, and stone, and leather, and every thing which their fancy could make into a god. These idols they placed about their persons, put them in their houses, and carried about with them wherever they went.

"Soon after a number of them had been converted, they appointed a day for meeting, when they were admitted to the Church. And what a scene! Bonfires were kindled in the town of Heddington, and the praises of Immanuel ascended with the smoke of the burning idols. At the same time, the hearts of these young converts were burning with desire to carry the Gospel to the tribes beyond them.

"Western Africa is a most promising field, because her native converts are eager to carry the Gospel to the country in the interior. The boys at the love-feasts tell the tale of their conversion, pray God to keep them good, to make them grow up men, and be missionaries to the t'other people. The natives will prove themselves doubly qualified for the missionary work, as they have less fear of the peculiar diseases of the climate, can be supported with less means, and understand the language of the country."

The Gospel has made great progress in these colonies since this address was made, and many schools and churches have been established.

CHAPTER XII.

THE SUMMARY.

THUS it will be perceived that almost every evangelical church in the United States is doing more or less for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign, and especially in heathen lands. I know not, indeed, that there is a single exception, unless it be among some of the smaller German denominations, or some branches of the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. Even these, however, seem almost all to contribute toward this great object through societies or boards, either belonging to other denominations, or common to several. Thus the Reformed Presbyterians or Covenanters support missionaries in the East Indies, in connection with the Presbyterian Church's Board of Missions; the Associate Reformed churches so far aid the

same board; the Associate churches have a mission in the island of Trinidad; and some of the German Reformed churches aid the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, as do, also, some of the Cumberland Presbyterian churches.

This is a gratifying fact, whether we regard it as a sign of life, or an earnest of its still further increase in the churches. Not that these have done all that their glorious Lord may justly look for at their hands; but that what they have hitherto done is but the promise of much greater things for the future, we may reasonably infer from the comparatively recent period that either domestic or foreign missions began seriously to interest the Christian public of the United States. Previous to 1810, there was not a single foreign missionary society in the country, with the exception of that of the Moravian Brethren, and not till long after did the churches do any thing worth mention in that field. The last twenty-five years have witnessed much improvement in this respect, and we pray that it may go on in a far greater ratio until every church shall have come up to the full demands of its duty.

It is difficult to present at one view the statistics of all these missionary efforts with perfect accuracy, at least if we would include all the particulars upon which the reader may think information desirable. On the main points we may obtain pretty accurate results. Including the missions of the evangelical churches alone, and those of the others are hardly of sufficient importance to call for notice, the receipts from all sources for propagating the Gospel in foreign and chiefly heathen lands, for the year 1855 may safely be reckoned at $933,062.* This is exclusive, also, of the income of the colonization

*The following table gives the details on this point:

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions...
Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church...
Boards of Foreign Missions of the Baptist Churches...
Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church....

Foreign Missions of the Protestant Episcopal Church..

Foreign Missionary Society of the Free-Will Baptists..

Foreign Missionary Society of the Lutheran Church, (about).

Foreign Missionary Society of the United Brethren, (about)..

.$310,427

184,074

163,660

128,000

57,600

6,301

3,000

10,000

15,000

5,900

50,000

.$933,062

American and Foreign Christian Union (to the foreign field) about.
Other Societies......

Grants from American Bible Society, the American and Foreign Bible So-
ciety, and the American Tract Society, estimated to be at least......

Total......

Nor does this statement include the annual grant of the general government of $10,000 for the support of schools among the Indian tribes, which is laid out through

societies, amounting, say, to $80,000, these not being missionary societies.

The number of distinct missions prosecuted by the United States churches is at least eighty; that of stations and out-stations exceeds three hundred. These employed in 1855 at least four hundred and fifty preaching American missionaries, who, with a few exceptions, were ordained ministers, and above seventy American laymen, chiefly physicians, printers, teachers, and catechists. The American females, chiefly wives of missionaries and teachers, amounted to five hundred, making a total of nine hundred and fifty persons from the United States connected with these missions, and all laboring, in one way or another, to promote the Gospel among the heathen. The natives who assist as ministers, evangelists, teachers, distributors of tracts, etc., etc., amounted at least to five hundred.

the missionary societies. I have not been able to obtain the exact amount raised by two or three of the societies; but the supposed sums can not be far from the truth.

CONCLUSION.

In the foregoing pages I had proposed to treat of the Origin, History, Economy, Action, and Influence of Religion in the United States of America, and in the execution of this task I have endeavored to omit nothing that seemed requisite to a full elucidation of the subject. The extent of ground necessarily traversed has rendered it indispensable that I should lay before the reader very numerous details; but these, I trust, he has found at once pertinent and interesting. Here the work properly ends; but I am desirous of recalling the attention of the reader to a few of the most important facts which it brings to light, and briefly to remark upon them, in order, if possible, to render them more useful to those who may be led to contemplate them. I wish, also, to make a reply to several charges against my country, and especially against its religious institutions, which I have heard in certain parts of Europe.

I begin by giving a brief review of the progress of the country under several aspects which are not decidedly of a religious nature, but which have an important moral bearing. This will enable the reader to judge whether its religious progress has corresponded with and equaled that which may be called temporal.

I. THE PROGRESS OF THE COUNTRY IN REGARD TO ITS MATERIAL INTERESTS. At first, and for a long period, as we have stated at length, the progress of the country was slow in all respects. Much time was demanded to clear away the forests, to open up roads, to build cities, to create harbors, and to find means to navigate the long rivers and extensive bays. The foreign commerce of the country was in the hands of England, with the exception of the fisheries and the West India Islands. Nevertheless, in the face of all these difficulties, and in the face of those which we have mentioned in the preceding section, there was a steady advance in all the material interests of the country during the colonial era. Independence introduced a new state of things. Still it required many years to recover from the depressed state in which a war of seven years left the nation. In the

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