year. We have twenty missions, two German churches, and Italian and Syrian missions. The McCormick Seminary students, now the most numerous of any seminary, are efficient helpers, and have opened five new fields, four of which will soon be flourishing churches. Three churches have been organized. Mr. Weston says: "We aim at nothing less than the full-fledged church." The plan is, a canvass, a Sunday-school and preaching service, then a church building this last a most pressing necessity-there being now seven organizations without a shelter. The Presbyterian League seeks as its chief aim to aid these struggling congregations to acquire church property. Prominent business men are active in it. The Presbyterian Social Union is now turning its energies in this direction. If the Board is so supplied with funds as to be able to encourage the Home Mission Committee to plant churches, and the Social League is backed in the work of church building, our Chicago brethren may signalize the year of their great Columbian Exhibition with an unprecedented advance in Home Missions and church extension.

There may be nothing more in this marked activity in Chicago than is now done or aimed at by Church Extension Committees and Presbyterian Alliances in New York and Philadelphia, and St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Omaha and Portland, and Los Angeles and Kansas City, and a score beside. But here at least is plainly indicated the line of effort through which our cities are to be evangelized.

SYNODICAL AID.

There is nothing specially new to notice in this important phase of Home Mission work. The Board has just once more wiped out the deficiency of the New York Synodical Aid Fund, and the work, it is hoped, will start afresh with prospects of a better outcome under the new plan proposed by the Synod's special committee. Pennsylvania has measurably attained its aims, with some ground still to cover. New Jersey holds its compact work well in hand and does it thoroughly, with increasing balance to the Board. Indiana's first year of self-support of its dependent churches will undoubtedly show better results at home and increased contributions to the Board, with also an increase of active and intelligent interest. Illinois's

plan of four State evangelists is well and profitably maintained. Kentucky's sustentation fund of some $6000 will stimulate contributions and activity. The main and obvious objection to the synodical plans is that they may possibly tend to make interest in Home Mission work local rather than general, and thus divert gifts and legacies from the Board, the Church's central agency; but this can be easily avoided and corrected. In New York there is no doubt that the synodical plan has resulted in some increase of gross contributions, though as yet not to the extent contemplated and hoped for.

NEW ENGLAND.

The six New England States measure 60,000 square miles. Maine has in area about one-half of the whole. Much less than one-half of Maine's surface is arable. Probably not one-tenth of the acreage of the other five States is susceptible of profitable tillage. Illinois, with 10,000 less square miles of surface than New England, has ten times as much arable land. So New England cannot be an agricultural, and must be a manufacturing district. Where the soil fails, the water-power and the business faculty and the tireless industry and the indomitable pluck and push are the available plant which must be utilized. So farmers leave New England for the fertile West; and the overstock of Canadian and Scotch and Scotch-Irish operatives pour into it. Tens of thousands have come, and more are coming and will come. They are mostly Presbyterians, or inclined to be. They prefer their own Church, and mean to have it. They are poor at first, and need preliminary help, but their thrift will soon attain self-support for religious appliances as for other interests. New England has nearly 5,000,000 of people. One-quarter of these are foreign-born. Not more than one-half of the whole population is of the old New England stock, and one-sixth cannot even speak English-a large part of these being Canadian-French and Roman Catholic; while hundreds of thousands are Scotch and Scotch-Irish. Presbyterian Home Mission work has thus a natural field and a wide scope among these new-comers. Our Congregational brethren on the ground heartily welcome and generously help this church extension. By this, and by results, the work has been amply justified. With a

few exceptions, no Presbytery in the whole Church has surpassed that of Boston in growth and enterprise and spiritual increase. The number of additions on confession has been all but unequaled, and aid from the Board and other outside sources has been proportionately light. This satisfactory showing has continued through the last year. Roxbury is building an elegant stone church on a commanding site. Manchester is building, under difficulties and after years' delay. Newport is erecting a fine edifice in a more central and accessible position than that hitherto occupied by its chapel, under the Rev. James Craig, who finished the neat stone church at Holyoke, to which the Congregationalists, under Dr. Reed, contributed $7,000. East Somerville has a neat edifice and a flourishing society. Worcester and Woonsocket have just assumed self-support. Fall River is about to build, and New Bedford has just purchased a church property, which it can very nearly pay for. Taunton has been generously helped, and is holding on under rather heavy burdens. The Gaelic congregation in Boston, under Mr. Gunn, is numerous and zealous, and Columbus Avenue has a fine large edifice in a choice position and a full audience, though not financially strong. New Haven has taken a new start and is quietly prospering, and Lynn, with scanty means, is laying foundations. Some new points are proposed, but the Board has perforce held back from any advance for more than a year.

FLORIDA.

Of the forty-one churches on the rolls of the two presbyteries of East and South Florida, those at Mill Cove, Palmer, St. Andrew's Bay and Mary Esther in the former, and Kismet and Acron in the latter, have only a nominal existence. A church has been organized at Homosassa, and another at Tracy has replaced Acron. Five new edifices are building or soon to be built. The churches are all supplied or soon will be. In South Florida "all year" men have stood by their fields throughout. In East Florida only four men have worked all summer; two of them are colored brethren, and the other two came from the Methodist Church. Nine churches left vacant for the summer in East Florida furnish good ground for the Board's conclusion to grant no more short or part-year agree

ments. Orange Bend, Centre Hill, Homosassa, Eustis, Chuluota and Titusville have enjoyed marked revivals, the last having received twenty-seven members.

Oranges are at the lowest prices ever yet known. Orange groves go begging for a buyer. Speculation in the marvellous phosphate beds has collapsed from overdoing, though a permanent and profitable business must be the final outcome. Our ministers fraternize to a larger extent than elsewhere with our Southern brethren. Here and there our churches are grouped with theirs for convenience and economy, and this should be oftener done. Several of our feeble churches should be given over to them, if they and the people agree. A conference of the two churches on that field in regard to these matters would be wholesome and helpful.

Our work in Florida has been hard and slow. And yet our church members there averaged last year for all religious purposes $12.24. The difficulties have been peculiar and great. The proper policy seems to be to hold on and wait for better times. Our synodical missionary, Rev. Henry Keigwin, is a genial and tireless worker.

MICHIGAN.

Michigan is rousing and starting afresh under the impulse of its new synodical missionary, Rev. David Howell, having lost greatly by the lack of such official supervision for several years. The long settled southern part has somewhat decreased in population, while wealth has increased, without like increase of spiritual consecration. The newer section is active and enterprising, with growing cities and active educational and religious sentiment. Presbyterian interests have not kept pace. Muskegon, with 30,000 people, has no Presbyterian church. The same is true of Manistee, with 12,000, and other considerable places. Churches established here would soon be independent and contributing. Lengthening railroads are multiplying such points, and inviting aggression. The people in the great lumbering and mining northern section are heterogeneous, and mostly poor, living in small and scattered villages, with many prematurely-organized and poorly-supported churches. Inter-denominational co-operation would help things. District pastors would contribute to relief, supplying the absence

of permanent work. Much foundation-work is lost for want of continuance, which would strengthen the things that remain. Young and strong men are needed here, who could stand scanty support for a time. There have been no great awakenings, but a fully average outcome for the year in growth and additions.

MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN.

Minnesota steadily prospers, as heretofore. Swedish work should be pressed. The Synod is in earnest. Gen. Adams is active and wise in supervision. St. Paul and Minneapolis are a great twin-city centre, whose Presbyterian alliances are tireless and wide-awake. Contributions have increased and appropriations diminished, and there is a fixed purpose to do better still.

Wisconsin's large foreign work, which for some years lagged much behind, has gained ground under the zealous push of Dr. Thomas, our Superintendent.

IOWA.

Iowa is emphatically a a "rural district." It has no large cities, and no condensed masses of population. With 55,000 square miles, and all but 2,000,000 of people, it is almost exclusively an agricultural State. Its southwestern portion is as fair and fertile as any equal surface on earth. The Master's vineyard there has also its progress and promise to show. The synodical missionary, Rev. T. S. Bailey, D.D., has worked his field with his usual efficiency and wisdom, and the eight presbyteries with their 233 ministers and 374 churches have earnestly co-operated. Large collections for the Board have been urged to considerable purpose. The whole field should have the larger supply of men which ample means would allow. In many instances, here as elsewhere, two fields would support two men almost as readily as one under the stimulus of the increased service, and the work would be more fully and rapidly done. In such cases a small advance from the Board, much below a double appropriation, would thus allow an increase of force, and, as a result, of work which would hasten the attainment of self-support, as well as the doubling of contributions. There is an illustration here of that "withholding of more than is meet," which "tendeth to poverty." Our aim on such fields should be the rapid estab