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? COURTESY OF A HELPFUL EFFECT."
Tin- ( 'out incut of June Sili Iijis :in editorial
with t In* aliow caption. Anions other kind
tilings, it says:
? The Southern Asscuihl v 's dctcrminat ion to
drop .ill controversy (iVit past problems in
comity ami pursue only ill.-* formulation of
dearer eoinity understandings for i In* future,
is another ad of frank cordiality that may
prove of even greater avail to tie- same <>, ?<?, I
elVeel. There is a miieh dearer path ale-ad
for good fellowship between the two rhureho,
today than was visible when the Assemblies
tin t . " '
While (lie IVesbx toriail of the South cor
dially I'eei prorates these expressions of good
will ami the earnest desire tor tin- d'sron'im:
anee of all ront rowrsv . it is hoped that our
esieeiued contemporary and all ?.t!ier ardci t
advocates of union will read tile full repot S
of the Ad Interim < 'oinmiltee on (*omit\ to tin
(iem-ral Assembly at ( 'barl 'ston. and not a
mere fragment of it. This report was pre
pared 1 1 y a commit ahle men w ho had had
no previous connect ion with the cases a!
issue, and is characlcri/oil by its forliearauee
and restraint.
The coniliiittcc did 1 1 o I hold that there were
no grounds for complainl on llic pari of tin'
Southern Ass- nihly. On tl;e contrary, ewrx
coot -lit ion of the Southern t'hurrli was shown
li> he fully justified. Ho; ill view of past ex
pel ience ii sccn.cd to tiie commit 'e> '.hat then
?\-as small lion ? of serum./ a satisfactory sei
t lenient ami that further litigation was futile.
If those responsible for these fractures of
comity ajrrw 'incuts can allow them to go tin
repair -d. the Southern ( hurcli could do noth
ing more about it. The report states only the
facts and leaves the whole matter "with those
responsible.
Contributed
BEAUTIFUL FOR SITUATION.
By Rev. Epbprt W. Smith, D. D.
In my last letter I spoke of my surprise at
the remarkable bra utv of the I , uebo compound.
Silirr thru I have held conferences of :i Week
each at Liisambo and Uibanga, and .1111 just
b 'ginning the conference at Miiloto, I am
again surprised to find that each of these three
other stations claims to have the most beau
tiful compound in the whole Mission and can
prove it to any fair minded visitor.
The Miitoto compound is on the level sum
mit of a great eminence *J, 200 feet above sea
level. Its houses are built around ail oblong
grassx campus which is dotted with stately
palms and beautiful mango trees and shrub
bery and intersected with Well laid out walks.
It commands on cvrry side a line view of the
surrounding hills. ,\s the mountains are
round about .1 'riisalein, so the "real hills
stand sentinel about .Mutoto.
The distinctive charm of the Lusamho com
pound, which lies over 1,1500 feet above sea
level oil its own grassy eminence, aside from
its splendid avenue of palms, is the beautiful
Sank.irn IJixcr that Mows around its base, re
fleet i 1 1 ??* in its broad bosom every changing
aspect of situ ami cloud ami sky as well as
the wide sweep of green hill and plain and
lores! that rises from its further shore.
Itihauga Station is the Ashcvillc of our Af
rican .Mission, lying L!,SOO feet above sea level
on the brow of an immense blulV. reached by
a broad ami gentle slope on one side but fall
ing steeply away on the oilier. and comniaml
i m tr from the front veranda of every ivsi
< I <? 1 1 ?*? ? on III,. ??<>) 1 1 1 1< 1 1 1 1 1 < | a vast panorama of
liill ami valley. plain and forest. extending
(Mil ward to a distance o| !!."? miles through the
full half circle of 1 1n- horizon. 1 1n* whole dressed
in ill.- most bewildering variety of greens fmni
gloomy Mark to gayest gold, and punctuated
:il nearly a dozen often widely separated
points hy silver stretehes of the Liihilash
l?i\ er.
I n I ess ;i 1 1 preeed 'ids fail, the missionaries
jit llulape. whose Station 1 am yet to visit,
will lie a hie to prove that theirs is without
question tin* most beautiful Station of all.
I want our home people to Know amid what
charming untiirnl surroundings our African
iiiissionari 's live and work. It is no mean item
in life's total that one's lot slnudd he east not
amid the sordid seems that environ many a
Mission eoiiiponnd in the cities of the Orient,
hut in the midst of nature's loveliest and no
hlest aspects. where heaillv and fragrance
elm rm the senses, and every glance reveals
green spaei's ami far horizons that calm and
soot lie and uplift .
I hit many of our home folks think the Af
riean missionary is kept so luisy lighting
mosipiitos ami hunt i 1 1 ir a eool spot that lie
has no time lo enjoy natur**. There is seme
truth in this picture of the missionary in the
|,owi r Congo where the altitude is not much
above sea level, w her ? the ureal trailing 'irnis
and many inisions are located, ami whence
emanate many popular misimprcssious of Al'r
rica in general.
I *>ut our Mission is a thousand inih's up
river from the Lower Congo in a ureal upland
hill country which in climate, and other cliar
aet eristics is ipiite ditVerent from 'he Lower
Congo. 'fake the last imuitli. for example. Of
that period I have spent one week each at
Lihanga and Mutoto ami the other two weeks
on the path travelling by f??ot am! hammock
from Liisamho to I lihanga and from I'ihainra
lo Mutoto. I was not once uncomfortably
warm during the two weeks at the two Sta
tions. Never have I been at places where a
clean still' collar lasted longer. The only time
I suffered I'rwni heat was on the path when
trudging up hills at or near mid-day under
the direct rays of the sun. the difference be
tween oii'*s feelings under the liooil sun's di
rect rays, ami in the shade of a roof or even
a tree, being almost unbelievably great. Dur
ing the month I often wore a light overcoat
in the early morning, two or three times wore
it during the whole of some particularly cool,
sunless day, ami always slept under cover at
night. In this whole period. I do not recall
that I have once secu, heard or felt a mos
quito. My only entomological experiences
were with a .jigger, which Mr. M-Klroy skil
fully extracted from my linger with a safety
piu. and a driver ant who got under my lea
ther legging and inspired a sudden agility
that Ty Cobb would hav ? envied.
It is true that our missionaries, when going
to aim returning from their fields, pass through
the Lower Congo, am! are often delayed there
for several weeks at a time. Hut I think it
probable that owing to recent governmental
road building our missionaries rv i II soon ,iml
it quicker and easier to go and return by the
sou) hern route via Cape Town or the east ? r n
route via the Sue/ ('anal, thus avoiding the
climatic dangers ami discomforts of the
1 ,ower t "ongo.
(Written at Mutoto April 1, W-2).
A HEARTENING CONTRAST.
By Rev. H. Tucker Graham, D. D ,
Florence, S. C.
A glance backward over ihe years is .in ilbi
11 1 i 1 1 ;i t i 1 1 *r experience. Sometime.^ 1 1 1 ? facts re
v?*ii I ? >? 1 cheer t lit* )i ?>:i i*t ;i 1 1 1 1 spur lis to l;t
endeavor sis w ? realize 1 )? ;i 1 tin* Lord hath ? I > ?i ? ? ?
?rival tilings for us, ami through us, v. 1 1 ? ? r? ?? ? I"
we an- glad. Or again tin* record may show
lliat somewhere we have l*;i 1 1 ?*i*??? I in our elTorts
ami fa I In i short of tin1 goal.
In tin' good providence ot (!od, tin' past
quarter of a century all'ords abundant cause
for gratitude to tin' (.real I load of tin- Church
on tin* part of tin* I'resbylerian Church, South.
This period has I m;i r U ?'? 1 l.y a steady ad
vaiis't' all along the I i m < * that is lit lit* short of
amazing. Compare tin' reports submit) d t ? ?
: lie < li:i,ioi 1 .\ysoi lily ( i > ! ? 7 ) v illi dii;' pr -
si-nti'd at ('harh'ston in May:
I. The n ii hi lie i' of < tin relies hiis grown from
2.S1II to :'.4!?2 ? :in increase of ?;Tii or 2 1 per rout.
II. The number of ministers from 1.27 1 to 2.0 f.i.
-- an increase of TSTt. or ill per eeiil.
III. The niinilier of members ami ministers from
1 Xil.S I 7 to 11 I ?? all increase ot 224. 'UK!, or
1 1 S per rent.
IV. The Sunday School enrollment from 1112.
897 to tills, 8f?0 ? ail increase of 2 .'15. JiiiX, or 1 14
per cent.
V. Amount contributed for all congregat ional
purposes I except pastor's y. lar> I '"roin $".7:i,i;u:', to
$3. COS. 210 ? an increase of $:t,02.S,(i07. or f>22
per cent.
VI. Amount contributed for pastor's .salary from
$7!l7,47f? to $2,(iii:l 1 !? 2 an increase of $t,S?-"?.
7 17. ?>r 2:'.:'. per cent.
VII. Amount com rihuted for Benevolence from
$ 4 fi , 7 S 2 to $ ft, 4 7 2. 323 ? ail increase ot $f>.ll 1
all. or 1 1 On per cent.
VIII. Amount contributed for all purposes from
$1 ,s:'2.KtiO to $ 1 1 .74:!. 725? an increase of if!l.!l|il,
8li 5. or r.40 per cent.
IV. In 1 s !? 7 :
The per capita gift for Foreign Missions was
7 7 c.
The per capita gift for all Benevolence was
$2.4(1.
The per capita gift for all purposes was $!M'.r?.
In 1 !? 2 2 :
The per capita gift for Foreign Missions was
The per capita gift for all Benevolence was
$i:t.2s.
The per capita gift for all purposes was
$2,8. fit).
It is ?dear, therefore, that our Church has
gone forward with rapid strides in every de
partment of its work in its membership ami
ministry, in Sunday School gorwlh, and in its
contributions. Strangely enough, the smallest
financial increase above shown is the matter
of pastoral support, though even here the ad
vance is very marked. It would be highly in
teresting to know just what is the average
salary of our ministers, but nothing more than
an estimate is possible in the time at my coin
maud.
Apparently, tin* average salary among out'
pastors was not far from in IS!?7. and was
probably around $l,;">00 during the year .just
ended.
The (ieneral Assembly Mintlb's ( 1 ! IV p.*lg<'
1<>1. indicate that during twenty years of tin'
period covered by the statistics of growl h
above given ( 1!>01-1J)*J1 ) :
fa) The population of the 1'nited Slat
increased 4tl per eent ;
(h) The eombined growth of the I 'rot extant
Churches of the I'nited Slates was 10 per cent
(e) V't the growth id' our own Church i"
2.? years was IIS per eent. Thus, during ?'
somewhat longer period we have maintained
a ratio of growth that is about two and om'
half times that of the eombined .average of tl>*'
Protestant Church.'* of America, and is also
two and one half times more rapid than tlx'