The American Missionary — Volume 36, No. 8, August 1882

American Missionary Association,

56 READE STREET, NEW YORK.

COMMUNICATIONS

relating to the work of the Association may be addressed to theCorresponding Secretary; those relating to the collecting fields,to the District Secretaries; letters for Editor of the “AmericanMissionary,” to Rev. G. D. Pike, D.D., at the New York Office.

DONATIONS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

may be sent to H. W. Hubbard, Treasurer, 56 Reade Street, New York,or, when more convenient, to either of the Branch Offices, Rev. C.L. Woodworth, Dist. Sec., 21 Congregational House, Boston, Mass.,or Rev. James Powell, Dist. Sec., 112 West Washington Street,Chicago, Ill. A payment of thirty dollars at one time constitutes aLife Member. Letters relating to boxes and barrels of clothing maybe addressed to the persons above named.

FORM OF A BEQUEST.

“I bequeath to my executor (or executors) the sum of ———dollars, in trust, to pay the same in ——— days after my decease tothe person who, when the same is payable, shall act as Treasurerof the ‘American Missionary Association’ of New York City, to beapplied, under the direction of the Executive Committee of theAssociation, to its charitable uses and purposes.” The Will shouldbe attested by three witnesses.

The Annual Report of the A. M. A. contains the Constitution of theAssociation and the By-Laws of the Executive Committee. A copy willbe sent free on application.

THE

American Missionary.

American Missionary Association.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The next Annual Meeting of the American Missionary Associationwill be held in Cleveland, Ohio, commencing Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 3P.M. Rev. C. L. Goodell, D.D., of St. Louis, Mo., will preach thesermon. Other addresses and papers will be announced hereafter.

REV. MR. LADD’S RETURN FROM AFRICA.

Our readers, who have followed Mr. Ladd’s journey in Africa, asgiven in his interesting journal, will be glad to know of his safereturn and of his excellent and uninterrupted health throughout theentire trip, which extended about 2,500 miles up the Nile to themouth of the Sobat, which is within the territory designated by Mr.Arthington for the proposed mission.

Persons who have kept themselves informed through the publicpress of the condition of things in the Upper Nile region willbe prepared for Mr. Ladd’s somewhat discouraging report of thestate of the country. The Arab leader and prophet, Achmet, ofwhose successful rebellion the papers have from time to time givenbrief intimations, Mr. Ladd found to be dominating completely aportion of the very region in which the mission is to be located,and it was by Divine interposition that Mr. Ladd was enabled toexplore so much of the territory and return safely. Intelligenceof a startling character received at this date (July 8), showsthat Achmet has achieved another victory over the Egyptian troops,more decisive than any heretofore won, involving the slaughter of3,000 of the Egyptian forces, which must for the present, at least,annihilate the authority of the government in that whole region,while the condition of Egypt itself,[226] likely to become the theatreof a terrible war, gives little promise that its authority can bespeedily re-established in the remote provinces of the Soudan. Adelay, therefore, is inevitable in our movements in Eastern Africa.

In the meantime, as was originally planned, Mr. Ladd is endeavoringto marshal a new recruit of colored missionaries for the Mendimission, and expects to accompany them thither at the close of thepresent wet season.

THE JOHN BROWN STEAMER.

Some months ago we sent out our circulars to the Sunday-schoolsin our churches, asking for $10,000, to enable us to build thismemorial steamer for mission work along the west coast, and up anddown the rivers, in that portion of the “Dark Continent” wherethere are no roads, and no beasts of burden, no horses, no camels,no oxen, not even mules. The need is great. The steamer will savetime, toil, and human life.

Inquiries come to us respecting the success of our appeal. We areglad to answer: At this date, July 5, we have received $5,524 forthe steamer, and some pledges are yet unpaid. We are also receivingadditional remittances almost every day, and believe that theamount needed will ultimately be realized. But we are anxiousto hasten the matter. Rev. Mr. Ladd has just returned from hisexploring tour in Eastern tropical Africa, and proposes to visitour Mendi Mission in Western Africa (for which this steamer isintended) as soon as the rainy season is over. We ought to have thefull amount for the steamer by September 1.

A good friend, in sending some money, says:—“Why moves the causeso slowly? In looking over the list of donations, I am pleased andgrieved; pleased that so many are interested to give—grieved thatso few special donations for this very important object are made.

“Friends of Africa, if you could realize as I do the urgent needof this steamer to save life and to advance the mission cause,you would speedily pour in the money for it. It ought to be inservice, doing its greatly needed work this coming autumn. Ifyou will go to Africa and make one trip (as I have made many) tothe Mendi Mission, in a ‘dug out’—a canoe dug out of a log—thedistance of more than 100 miles, most of the way on the ocean—youwill then see and feel the need of this proposed steamer. O, whydoes not every Sunday-school send in $50, $20, $10 or $5? Why donot individuals, who have in hand a great abundance, send $50,$100 or $1,000, and so have this noble work accomplished at once?Come, friends of Africa, supply the means and send forth this newmessenger of mercy, to cause a great shout of joy to go up from theweary missionaries and from a long-suffering people!” Who will heedthis plea from one who has known the field and suffered much forit?

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OUR OPPORTUNITY.

We find it in Kentucky. Our Executive Committee recently senttheir Field Superintendent to that State for a bit of inspection.As a sample of opportunity we refer to the deeply interestingarticle in this number from President E. H. Fairchild. The A. M. A.has taken up that school and has assumed the support for sixmonths of Miss M. R. Barton, a student of Berea, from Illinois.That school-house, which is the only one in Jackson County thathas windows in it, will give out a good deal of light among thosemountain people. At Cabin Creek, our old ante-bellum battleground,in the foot-hill country, the people are building an “Academy,”with the money subscribed on the condition that there shall beno respect of color. The A. M. A. has been asked to lend there ahelping hand. At Williamsburg, the county seat of Whitley County, atown sixty years old, where a church has never yet been finished,though three have rotted down during the process of building,Rev. A. A. Myers has returned to his old A. M. A. work, and hasinspired the people to build a church edifice 40×60. He works withhis own hands by the side of the citizens. He gets the base-ballclub to give an hour a day to the digging and rolling of stone forthe foundation. The First Congregational Church has been organized,and now the same people are bent upon getting up a high school,having turned to this Association for help, which will be gladlyrendered, negotiation being already on foot to secure the teachers,who the citizens say must come from north of Mason and Dixon’sline. This town, with fine water power and rafting facilities onthe Cumberland, has already attracted several mills and wood-workfactories, one of which is to make oars for the market in Europe.The railway that is to cross the mountains to Knoxville will soonreach this place. Out of the mountain country still further backof this, it is said, went Dick Yates to be the War Governor ofIllinois, and also its present Executive, Governor Cullom, andother notabilities. At another county seat, which can scarcely bereached on wheels—horseback being the almost exclusive mode ortravel; Mr. Myers and his wife having come seventy miles in thisway to the recent Berea Commencement—at this place, Beattyville,the A. M. A. is to aid a recent colored graduate of Berea, O. W.Titus, to run his, the only colored school in the county, throughthe school year. In these mountains is our opportunity.

In the First Congregational Church of Atlanta, Ga., Pastor Kenthaving led his people into a system of giving, found that the firstresponse for the American Board, with envelopes, brought in $68,from two hundred and two contributors. This was preceded by fivemissionary sermons, illustrated from a large missionary