Our Finances.—During the seven months of the fiscal year closing April 30, our receipts from collections and donations have amounted to $109,275.73. The collections and donations for the same months last year were $138,094.35, a decrease of $28,818.62. The legacies for these months last year were $23,447.81, while for this year they have been $42,121.18, an increase of $18,673.37. The total receipts thus far this year in collections, donations and legacies have been $151,396.91 against $161,542.16 for the same period last year, a decrease of $10,145.25. We earnestly urge the friends of this Association to study these figures. Our last annual meeting, in view of the pressing work before us, recommended the increase of our receipts 25 per cent. for the present fiscal year. The added expenses of our Indian work and the pressing calls for enlargement of our school and church work South, make this increase imperative—and especially as the openings before us in these lines of effort are exceedingly auspicious and encouraging. If the increase named is received, we can go forward; if not, we must leave undone what ought to be done. Under these circumstances, we ask individual donors whom God hath blessed with the means and the heart to help, to give special attention to the facts we present, and we also respectfully request pastors to bring before their people our financial necessities, so that during the next five months we may be able to go forward without debt or diminution of work.
The Church Book, Hymns and Tunes, for the Uses of Christian Worship, prepared by Leonard Woolsey Bacon. New York: D. Appleton & Co. Several novelties are presented by this book. The more prominent of these are (1) the typographical arrangement, which allows the hymns to go in without the usual limitations of space, (2) the number of hymns, which is less than half that usually found in books of the kind, (3) a combination of the standard tunes with the best of the English lyrical compositions. We believe there is common sense in Dr. Bacon’s idea that the church will be better served with a smaller number of the choicest hymns. As both the standard and (so called) classical tunes are selected with excellent judgment, we see no reason why the Church Book may not prove a valuable addition to the hymn-and-tune-ology of the day. The typography and binding of the book are of the best.
General Liturgy and Book of Common Prayer, prepared by Prof. Hopkins, is the title of an attractive volume of 137 pages, published by A. S. Barnes & Co. A feature of especial interest is the “Table for Scripture Readings for Divine Service on every Lord’s Day throughout the year,” embracing a period of two years. The volume is tastefully prepared and printed in red and black, thus assisting the eye in selecting the different parts of the service. We believe it will be found helpful in the pulpit, in families and in mission work at home and abroad.
The Home Missionary for May appears with new cover and an addition of eight pages, four of which are devoted to advertisements. The reading matter, embraces a wide range of discussion on the different interests of home missionary work, and as usual was prepared especially for this excellent organ of the Home Missionary Society. It gives evidence of an advance along the line, and will be welcome in its approved appearance among its numerous readers.