PROCEEDINGS AT THE ANNUAL MEETING.
The thirty-fourth Annual Meeting of the Association had for its meeting place the commodious Broadway Church in the beautiful city of Norwich, Conn. It was favored with perfect autumnal days, bountiful and beautiful hospitality, and a large and sustained attendance at all its sessions.
President Tobey being detained from attendance, the chair was occupied by Vice-Presidents Dr. Wm. L. Gage, of Hartford, and Dr. Wm. W. Patton, of Howard University, and at the closing session by Dr. L. T. Chamberlain, pastor of the church in which the meetings were held. Rev. Geo. M. Boynton was elected Secretary, and Revs. C. P. Osborne and J. H. Isham, Assistant Secretaries of the meeting. Dr. Langworthy, of Massachusetts, conducted the opening devotional services. The Treasurer read his report. The report of the Executive Committee was read by Secretary Strieby, after which an hour was spent in prayer, reminiscence and thanksgiving.
Dr. Alex. McKenzie, of Cambridge, Mass., preached the Annual Sermon, his text being Ex. ii.:9—“Take this child away and nurse it for me.” The thought elaborated with great force and beauty was the claim of the child, the African race, upon the King’s daughter, the Church of God.
Wednesday morning the prayer meeting was led by Rev. R. B. Howard, of Massachusetts. Part of the morning was devoted to presentations of missionary work outside of the special limits of the Association. A paper, valuable for its clearness and comprehensiveness, on “Recent Progress of Protestant Missions,” was read by Mr. H. K. Carroll, one of the editors of the Independent, in whose care is their excellent missionary column. Mr. Eugene Reveillaud then addressed the Association, through Rev. Mr. Dodds, who acted as his interpreter, on the recent remarkable religious movements in France. Mr. Dodds and Rev. L. W. Bacon spoke briefly on the same subject.
The Committees to which had been assigned the various departments of the work as represented in the official papers, then in order reported, and addresses were made on the subjects of which they treated.
1. The church work. The report was presented by Prof. Wm. J. Tucker, D. D., of Andover Theological Seminary, and was sustained by him in an able and suggestive address, showing the kind of religion needed by the negro and the progress already made. Dr. Roy followed with a statement of the disadvantages under which this department of our work was compelled to labor, and, on the other hand, of the favorable circumstances by which it was assisted.
2. The Indian report was read by Rev. A. H. Bradford, of New Jersey, after which General Armstrong spoke of the educational experiment at Hampton, its success and its needs. A company of the Indian pupils on their way from their summer homes in Berkshire County, Mass., added, by their presence on the platform and by simple exercises, to the impressiveness of the plea. Mr. Bradford sustained the report made by him in a forcible address, showing the evils of the treaty and reservation systems, and the need of still further reform in our civil service.
3. The educational work (South) was reported on Wednesday evening by Rev. Addison P. Foster, of New Jersey, Chairman of the Committee. Dr. Wm. M. Taylor, of New York, followed with a strong plea. Its leading illustration was drawn from the feeding of the five thousand; when the disciples came to the Master and said, “Send the multitudes away;” to whom he replied, “They need not depart, give ye them to eat.” Mr. Foster also sustained the report read by him. He demonstrated the greatness of the need and the religious character of the education demanded and sought to be supplied by our schools.
Thursday morning, after the prayer meeting, which was led by Rev. F. Williams of Connecticut, Rev. H. S. De Forest, President of Talladega College, spoke in continuation of the discussion of the report on education, setting forth the wants of Alabama and the condition and needs of Talladega. Rev. Wm. E. Brooks, just elected to the Presidency of Tillotson Institute, in Texas, gave his creed in regard to the work before him, in a brief address full of animation and hopefulness. He was followed by Professor Fairchild, of Berea College, who spoke of the influence of that Institution in doing away the prejudices of the whole community in which it was located. Dr. I. P. Warren, of Maine, also spoke briefly. District Secretary Powell, of Chicago, closed the discussion of this largest department of the work of the Association.
4. The African Missions were reported on by Rev H. M. Ladd, of Walton, New York, who followed the report with a brief address. Professor T. N. Chase, of Atlanta, Georgia, who recently has returned from a visit of inspection to the Mendi Mission, gave an account of the field, of the location of the mission, with its drawbacks and hopeful signs frankly and fully contrasted. Rev. Lewis Grant followed briefly. Dr. Patton also spoke on this topic.
5. The Finance Committee reported through its Chairman, Rev. Wm. H. Willcox, D.D., commending the business management of the Association, and making it clear that the $150,000 recently received for buildings in no wise lessened the demands upon the treasury or the dependence of the treasury upon the churches. Secretary Strieby followed, urging the need of the enlargement of the work. Dr. A. F. Beard, of New York, read a most suggestive paper on Giving as an important part of the sacrificial life to which the Christian is called. He was followed by Dr. Chamberlain in an earnest plea for justice and restitution to the races which our race has so deeply wronged, and briefly by President Magoun of Iowa College.
6. The Chinese report was read on Thursday evening by Dr. Lyman Abbott, of New York, and supported by him. In his address he stated fully and frankly the possible dangers arising from Chinese immigration, and the two methods by which they might be averted. Rev. Samuel Scoville, of Stamford, Connecticut, followed in a fervid plea based on the importance of the work, and the encouragements to its prosecution. Rev. R. B. Howard briefly followed.
It would not do to omit the witty and eloquent address of Rev. Dr. Hannay, Secretary of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, in which he spoke of the heroism of modern missionary effort and the statesmanship needed and shown in the discussions of the work of the Association.
The Lord’s Supper was celebrated on Wednesday afternoon, Rev. J. O. Barrows of Turkey, and Rev. Jonathan Edwards of Massachusetts officiating.
At the close, resolutions of thanks to the churches and citizens of Norwich, to the choir, the Committee and the railroads, were adopted, and responded to by Rev. Wm. S. Palmer, D.D., of Norwich, chairman of the Committee of Arrangements. The benediction was pronounced by Rev. Dr. Chamberlain. Thus ended one of the best attended and best sustained anniversaries of the American Missionary Association. For changes in the list of Vice-Presidents and Executive Committee we refer to the first inside page of the cover.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Second Church was filled below and above with a congregation of nearly a thousand women. Mrs. Dr. John A. Rockwell, of Stamford, Conn., presided, and, after the opening prayer by Mrs. Phipps, read a brief paper on woman’s responsibility in the nineteenth century.
Miss Stevenson, Miss Sawyer, Mrs. Hickok and Miss Emery, all familiar with the condition and needs of the colored women of the South, addressed the meeting, the interest of which was so great and so well sustained that it re-assembled the next morning. At that time Miss Douglass, who had labored in Georgia among the negroes, and Miss Ludlow, of Hampton Institute, Miss Lord and others spoke, keeping up the interest which had attended the previous session.
Resolutions expressing hearty sympathy with the work of the A. M. A., and urging an organization for home mission work in every church in New England, were adopted at the close of this full and earnest woman’s meeting.