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4 §»aat|)tnt Christian MACON, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 2,1866. THE CHINA MISSION. Our readers will be interested in the let ter from our faithful and devoted Missiona ry to Chiua, Rev. Young J. Allen. The Church will rejoice to see him in good spir its respecting the promise of future useful ness of the mission within that dark land. Our brethren there deserve well of the Church for bringing the mission through the embarrassments of the past few years with so little debt. Wo trust that the Claims of the mission upon tho Church will be met in a most liberal spirit. The brethren feel that they need more Constant intercourse with the Church at home. We have been sending the Advo cate to Rro. Young without charge for sev eral months, and we trust that before thie time, he is receiving it regularly, lie says, that he wishes to see others of the Church papers, and we hope that they will all be sent to some ono or other of the brethren in the mission. The Revised New Testament. The Baptists at the North ha\e gotten up a Revised New Testament. Attempts have been made at some points in the South to make the impression that it has received the sanction of all the denominations. This, of course, is not true. Dr. N. M. Crawford, well known in the South, as a Baptist min ister has been dissecting this “Revised New Testament,” and he applies the knife with & vigorous hand. He says in the Christian Index: “The reader will observe that in the vol ume of 1865, ‘no possible means have been neglected which might contribute to render this revision faithful to the original, and clear in its utterances to men.’ What then must be his astonishment to learn that in the revision of 1866 there are alterations as manifold as the autumnal leaves in Vallom brosa? Their name is Legion; their multi tude is innumerous. In the first chapter of Matthew there ar q forty-nine variations ; in the second thirty-one ;in the third eight; in the fourth eighteen ; in the fifth forty two ; or one hundred and forty-eight varia tions in the first five chapters, and so on, for aught I know, to the end of the volume.— Instead of ono mouse, indeed, the mountain Seems to have brought forth two.’’ He particularizes many of these changes «nd concludes bis article, thus: “In conclusion, I would advise the Bible Union to sell no more of these miscalled cor rected revisions, to fall back on the Common Version, and before they publish another re vision, appoint on the Final Committee some man who knows English , and give him an absolute veto on all proposed alterations.” THE HOLSTON CONFERENCE. Bishop MoTyeire, after holding the Hol- Ston Conference, passed through Nashville in good health and spirits—bating a little cold. He gave the editor of the Nashville Advocate several particulars respecting that Conference. He gives a most encouraging account of the recuperation of the Church within the bounds of the Holston Conference. We have suffered greatly in that section, but the the brethren are patient and hopeful, and a brighter day is dawning upon them. The smile of the great Head of the Church in demnifies for partial defections in the min istry and membership, and the loss of churches, parsonages, and other property. The spirit with which our Holston brethren have borne up under their great trials is an augury of their future prosperity and en largement. The Conference was well attended by both the ministry and laity, and was enter tained with great hospitality. Business was transacted in a satisfactory manner, and all parts of the Conference were supplied with preachers. The Statistical Reports are imperfect: 172 local preachers; 23,485 white, 1,243 colored, 77 Indian members; 666 white, 96 colored infants; 858 white, 115 colored adults baptized—but many charges were not reported —222 Sunday schools, 1,378 teach ers, 7,821 scholars, 9895 volumes in libra ries. Conference Collection, $139 95; for Bishops, $196; for Domestic Missions, $316 80; for Foreign Missions, $5. The financial machinery of the Conference is not yet in motion—the Bishop thinks that the steam will be let on the coming year. The vote on a change of name of the Church stood ayes, 54—nays, 2; on lay rep representation ayes, 47 —nays, 7. The Louisville Conference. The Conference had a pleasant session, presided over by Bishop Doggett, who gave eminent satisfaction, in the discharge of his new duties. The missionary meeting was an interest ing occasion. The Missionary Secretaries, Drs. McFerrin and Sehon,’ were both pres ent and gave an impulse to the cause, by their good speeches. The collection at the anniversary amounted to S7OO. The statistics show that there are 23,036 white, and 1,019 colored members, under the care of the Conference, being an in crease ol 1,202 during the year. This, too, notwithstanding there has been a great di minution in the colored membership. The vote on change of name of the Church stood, ayes, 35 —noes, 31; on lay representation ayes, 57—nays, 10. THE CONFERENCE VOTES. There are two questions now passing round in our Annual Conferences, for their acceptance or rejection—the change o£ the name of the Church, and the admission of lay delegates to our Conferences. It will require a three-fourths majority to carry these questions. The vote of the Confer ences heard from stands thus : Change of rams Lay-representation Ayes Noes - Ayes Noes Missouri —2S 30 40 19 Indian Mils— 7 «* 7 0 iVKansas —25 7 27 4 Kentucky —ls 7 v 47 4 Little Rock—24 19 1 6 29 N. W- Texas—2B 0 26 0 Louisville —35 31 57 10 itolatoa —57 2 47 7 213 86 267 73 The St. Louis Conference is reported as voting .for the change of name “ a little over two to one’’—for lay-representation the vote was not so large. We have not seen the numbers given. The above statement shows that thus far more than the requisite majority is obtained for lay-representation ; and the change of name is not likely to be defeated, as it i3 hardly probable that more than one or two of the other Conferences will cast an adverse vote. DEATH OF JOHN W. BURRUSS. Few laymen occupied a more prominent position in our Church than did John W. Burruss. He died recently at St. Louis, Mo. We find in the N. 0. Advocate the following ap preciative notice of his character and life: The Methodists of the Southwest and of the whole South will deeply deplore the an nouncement of the decease of this true son of our Church. She has not produced, so far as we know, any one purer in life or su perior to him in mental power and polish. Asa writer his style was in the highest de gree terse, lucid, nervous and epigrammatic. With a boundless wealth of illustration he had but to begin and straightway there flowed from his pen the richest periods of thought and the finest turns of expression. That he wrote so little must now be the re gret of all who knew him. We had hoped this winter, upon the restoration of his health, to present our readers with many of his suggestive and rich contributions. This is but a single view of the high qualities of our dear friend. lie was a whole souled Methodist, the son of a Methodist traveling preacher—the venerable John C. Burruss. In all the interests of Methodism in the South he felt a lively concern, and gave liberally to the support of its churches and its institutions of learning. Early in life he chose the better part, and has ever since been known as a friend of the Saviour. We first knew him in the Wesleyan University holding, as a student, the very first [lace in position, scholarship and influence. lie graduated during the Presidency ot Doctor Fisk with the highest honors of tho University. We wait for a more extended tribute to the memory of this noble Christian from those who have been associated witli him in the more important and intimate relations of social life. Dr Deems is not to be understood as “ve ry decidedly in favor of the Howard Amend ment,’’ and “it is a matter of surprise” that some should so have construed his article on the Constitutional Amendment. lie il lustrates his meaning thus : —“ Each man is most concerned for the honor and welfare of his own Slate. The editor of this paper is a North Carolinian. Suppose North Car olina, after the adoption of the amendment by a sufficient number of other States to make it law, should feel that she were forced to adopt it. It would be a melancholy thing; yet we can conceive that under that coercion good and true men, desiring to make some terms with their conquerors, should do as they did by the emancipation and repudiation questions. That was most painful and humiliating, and so wou’d this be. As in those cases, so in this, we sought to find a defence for such an act, and what hopeful views might be entertained in that emergency, and certainly were not seeking to urge the adoption of the amendment. It was such a general view before our eyes as we wrote, and the defect of our article was its want of explicitness on the point.” A Good Missionary Collection.— On last Sabbath, the Rev. Joseph S. Key preached to the Mulberry St. congregation on the subject of missions. He afterwards at the Monthly Meeting members an opportunity of making their contribu tions to the cause. The result was $405 50 in money and subscriptions, a handsome col lection which will probably be increased to S6OO, by the donations of others not then present. We mention it to encourage oth ers to make a zea'ous effort fur this good cause. Let the Church remember the suf- SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. sering missionaries of our own State, and do something handsome for them. The N- W- Texas Conference We find the following accountof abody of noble the Texas Christian Advocate. It is from the pen of the Editor, who writes from the seat of the above named Confer ence. He says: This young Conference numbers near forty members. Many of them have had hard times during the last year. Heavy work on circuits large euough for districts, their path-ways along the frontier, beset by the savages, none receiving mo e than a pittance towards their support, and yet there is no talk of location among them. We feel stronger as we look upon these weather beaten men, the marks cf toil on their frames, but the traces of calm, religious re solve upon their countenances. 1 hey dis cussed the various questions of church in terest, which came before them, wjth an earnestness which indicated that this was their business on earth, and that the trials they encountered were the mere accidents of life, which, in the presence of their sa cred obligations, scarcely deserved a thought. The soul gathers strength from contact with such men. We feel ashamed of ourself when we remember that we have murmur ed at the vexations of our own lot. Here is one who received thirty dollars last year, and is willing, if the interests of the work demand it, to go back to the same field again. Here is another who lost everything last year, by the Indians but his horse—feels thankful, that under the providence of God, they did not get his scalp, and is quietly awaiting the appointment that may send him along the same trail next year. Here is another who put his wife in the carryall and they wandered all over the district, when they found that they could not secure enough to enable them to have a home ; willing to give up all the joys of their own fireside, that the husband might preach Christ and him crucified. Here are near two score of men, made out of the same ma terial that composes the rest of men, sus ceptible of the same pains, with the same nature —relish for ease, or wealth, or honor, loving their wives and their chi dren, often sad when they see them suffer, and yet they have given up the world, and are here to plan their work, not by reducing it to a shape more agreeable and pleasant, but to shape it so that men’s souls may be converted to God. lam glad they admitted me within their bar, and glad they call me brother, and the bond that unites us distance cannot dissolve, nor - bsence sever. These have but little quarterage to report, but they bring up something better. Many report revivals of religion upon their circuits, and expect the coming year that their labors will be abundantly blessed. They have a noble field before them. May God help them to meet their sacred trust. Anoxher Church Division. —At the recent session of the Synod of Kentucky (0. S. Presbyterian,) the Clerk refused to call the names of members regularly—the Moderator intervened and called it —the members who sustained the action of the General Assembly would not answer to their names. But forty-five ministers and fifty five ruling elders did answer; while thirty ministers, eight only of whom are pastors, and twenty-six eiders —some of them elect ed by seceding factions in congregations, representing about one-tenth of the commu nicants of the State, proceeded to organize another Synod—one that should abide by the action of the General Assembly. Tiie Southern Presbyterian Review is revived in all the vigor of its earlier days. The contents of the September Number are : 1. The Benefits of Infant Baptism, by Rev, Dr. C. A. Stillman, Gainesville, Ala. 2. The Study of Languages as a Training of the Mind, by Prof. W. Blair, Hampden, Sidney College, Va. 3. Buckle’s History ot Civilization in England. 4. Death, the Resurrection, and the Intermediate State.— 5. The Northern General Assembly (O. S.) of 1866. 6. Critical Notes. The Review is published at Columbia, S. C., at $3.00 per volume. Single Numbers SI.OO. —" -■ »■. ' Scott’s Monthly Magazine for Octo ber. This Magazine continues to improve, and bids fair to surpass any publication of the kind that the South has yet produced. Correspondence. —Wo are so rich this week in this department, counting as part of it the news from the Churches, that we have but little room for editorials—nor have we been able to "et in all the letters that have come t« baud. Correspondents will be served in turn. From tho Nuslivill* Chris tai Adrooate. Indian Mission Conference. Mr E'iitor; X arn UO w holding the In dian Mission Couterenee. at the Bloomfield Academy. i,j thu Chickasaw Nation. The truits ot the war are painfully manifest in the diminished numbers of this missionary band There are oulv sixteen names re maining upon the Conference roll, and of these only seven are in attendance. Os the test, some are sick,and some without means ot travelling. The schools have all been suspended since the beginning of the war. Yfttwe have very enoouraging reports from many quarters. The native preachers, travelling and local, and the exhorters. nearly all continued faithful throughout the trying period of the war, and have been doing a good work since its close. In the course of the past summer there have been several extensive revivals —some of them of an extraordinary character. The people generally are as ready to hear the gospel as ever, and in many places they crowd eager ly together at every appointment. Some camp-meetings have been held with happy results. But the work has been sadly embarrass ed by the straitened circumstances of the preachers, and this must continue until they can get help from the Missionary Board. They have been looking hopefully to this time for relief, and are disappointed. Many of the Cherokees lost everything by the war, and were compelled to flee for their lives. Most of the refugees have returned to their homes, but they have gone back in absolute destitution. Some have not even been able to get back. These brethren must have help, or they cannot devote their time to preaching. Several of the white missionaries have been compelled to abaudon the field and re tire to other Conferences, or resort to secu lar employments to obtain support for their families. A large portion of the country for merly occupied, especially a;nong the Chick asaws and Choctaws, is now wholly unsup plied ; nor have we now the men or means to send them the gospel. To us they look, but at present in vain. It makes me sad to append to so many names of circuits, “to be supplied,’’ with the assurance that there is no “supply’’ available.* What is to bo done ? The Mission Schools have all been sus pended for several years. The war cut off the means of subsistence for them entirely. They were supported in part by annuities from the Government, and in part by the Missionary Treasury. The annuities will, now soon be available again, and the Confer ence has taken such steps as the circumstan ces allowed toward resuming operations in this department. It remains to be seen what the Missionary Board can do for them. We must not think of allowing ithis vital adjunct of our work to pass out of our hands. The Indian work has special claims upon the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The people have attached themselves to us, and we have acknowledged the obligation thus imposed. We are bound to them by history. The past blessing of God upontmr labors among them must uot be discredited by any neglect in the futuie. Missionary outlay has seldom been more,fruitful than here. And now that the foundation is laid, it will not do to quit the task before the walls are erected and the building finished This work must not stop. If the Missionary Society is trammeled for want of means, it seems to me to be good policy to husband its resources by using them here where the work, already begun, ( ii ay be carried on at a smaller cost. Dis tant operations, involving the heavy expen ditures incident to the establishment of a new mission, may be delayed with propriety. Little will be lost in a year or two. No specific obligations will be violated. We may begin when we shall have become more prosperous. But here delay is dead loss. Every day’s postponement is a calamity. The fields are white to the harvest. Already the tardy hand of the reaper is chided by the waste. Let it be the first care of the Board to re-invigorate the Indian Missions, and place them on a firm footing. Let us do the work well which we already have iu hand. This accomplished, wc shall be ready for larger enterprises. Besides all this, the aboriginal inhabi tants of this country have the very first claim upon us. We have entered into their inheritance. Our plow turns the sod upon the graves of their fathers. Our steamers vex the waters on which once floated their light canoes. Our cities and .plantations have devoured the range of the elk and the buffalo. They have melted before us like the frost before the morning sun. We have driven them to these western prarics, and confined them to these narrow limits, and we now owe them the gospel. I have intimated above that there is economy in spendiug money where the foundation is already laid. One fact will illustrate this : There are among the In dians now several native preachers, who are very useful men among their own peo ple. They are satisfied to work for small salaries —very small. But they must have something—a bare subsistence—or else labor with their hands .for bread. Two or three of them may be employed for what it would cost to support one white missionary. Thus former missionary outlay has become pro ductive, and it is suicidal now to neglect this means of growing from our former work. We must enter into our own labors, and reap the harvest of our own sowing ; es pecially since the oost of reaping is so much less than the cost of sowing. lam earnest in this matter. The Indian work must be held second to none in its claims upon the Church. The Christian heart of the country will respond to it gen erously. The prayers of thou-ands will go up to God in its behalf. And we shall meet multitudes of our red brothers on tho shore of immortality, and iu the oity oi God. E M. Marvin. Bloomfield Academy, Chickasaw Nation, Sept. 16 To the Preachers of the Rome Dist., Georgia Conference. Dear Brethren Not being able to meet with you at your fourth quarterly meetings, I take this method of calling your attention to some duties pertaining to your office, which may escape your memory. I have reason to believe that our Bishop will be very searching in regard to church statistics, at our ensuing session, and, there fore, I call your special atte ition to these matters. You will, therefore, my dear brethren, be provided with full and accurate statements of the number of white members, colored members, white adults baptized, colored adults baptized, white infants bap tized, colored infants baptized during the year. And as many accessions have been made to the church this year, we shall want accurate statements of the same, both as to white and colored. We shall want, also, a statement of the amount of church and. par sonage property, on your several circuits and stations, with estimated value of the same; also, what amount of money has been raised during the year for the purpose of refitting churches and parsonages. Moreover, we want statements of amounts allowed you by your stewards, for the support of your fami lies, and what proportion of the same has been paid, together with amounts raised for the Bishop’s fund, for Conference collection, and for Missionary purposes, Domestic and Foreign—keeping the amounts for- those last purposes separate.' Upon the subject of Sabbath schools, itia desired that you furnish correct lists of the number of schools on your circuit or station, with number of teachers, scholars, and vol umes in libraries, togeiher with amounts raUe 1 for purchase of books, donations made, and conversions had in the Sabbath schools during the year. Besides all these items, give us the number of local elder’s, and local deacons on your circuits, and how tho Monthly Church Meeting works. If in this list of statistics desired, I have omitted any required in the Discipline, please read up, and be correct. Lastly, it any of you find it impracticable to corno to Conference make out all the above statistics in plain hand, and send to my address at Americus, Ga.; taking care to send your letters some days before the meeting of Conference, so that committees may not be delayed in their legitimate w- rk. It often happens that committees cannot report till lato in the Conference session, owing to a failure on the part of those whose duty it is to send in time, the proper data, from which to make reports. Hoping that the Lord will enable each one of you to finish up his year’s labor suc cessfully, and to meet us at Conference, I remain, dear brethren, Yours -in Christ, B. Arbooast. Abingdon, Va., Oct. 23, 1866. Cormponitntt. LETTER PROM CHINA. Mr. Editor: —Now that war has ceased and the smoke of battle cleared away we are anxious, doubly to hear from our Church and people, our friends and loved ones. We long to know how you are and what you are doing, to renew our correspondence with you and acquaintance with the times and circumstances that exist among you ; for although we have been separated long and far from you we have not lost our in terest and sympathy in all that pertains to our common welfare. More than a jear lias elapsed since the close of the war, and yet not a Church pa per from the South has reached us, with but <ho single exception of a few stray copies of the New Oilcans Christian Advocate by last mail. We are anxious to see the proceedings of our Annual Conferences, but especially those of the General Conference. I have seen a few detached items of news from the South as reported through the Northern Church journals, but most generally accompanied with such comments and restrictions as only intensified the desire to see arid know for ourselves tho true state and conduct of our people. I have just forwarded to Dr. McFerrin a full statement of our finances up to July 1, 18G6, showing the China Mission to have survived its long separation from you, with its status unimpaired, its Missionaries all well; the native Curch though small, vet vigorous; its operations enlarged ; its pro perty intact and its treasury though unre plenished for more than four years, having, at the beginning of this year, liabilities out standing far less than a thousand taels. * Isolated, tempted, embarrassed and almost destitute* its vitality has been no less sur prising to us than to many of our crocodile friends abroad. Is there not in all this reason for pro fouudest gratitude to God, whose providence hath cherished the orphanage of your in fant, mission, and is there not in you, and in every member of the Southern Church a heart to embrace it once more '( Or shall an enterprise so important and so tenacious of life, while left to itself, have outlived its separation and every adversity, to perish at last, if perish it must, in the hands of its friends ? God forbid. “ The China Mission still lives,” said the College ot venerable Bishops in their recent address to the General Conference, “and wo recommend it to your fostering care.” Those thrilling words have reached us freighted with precious promise, and in the absence of information as to the sequel, we cherish them “ as the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not soen”* yea, we half forget her struggle for a pre oarious existence in the past, and her vet more recent four years of perilous history in the partial prospect that she shall realize “your fostering care” and be sustained yet more vigorously in the future. Within the last few years tho ways of Providence have done much toward unseal ing and opening this great Empire to the influence of Christianity. Hitherto, and even now for want of men aud means, missionary effort has been re-