In 1866 the Methodist Episcopal Church completed its first hundred years, and took occasion to celebrate the event by public religious services and benevolent contributions. By this means two funds were created, called "The Children's Fund," and "The General Education Fund," which seemed to find no appropriate custody in any of our then existing Boards. The General Conference, therefore, in 1868, established a Board of Education for the whole Methodist Episcopal Church, and confided these funds to its charge and management. A charter was duly obtained, and the new corporation reported to the General Conference of 1872, that "The Children's Fund" had reached the sum of $83,785 66, and "The General Education Fund" $15,727 78; total, $99,543 44, the interest of which is to aid our poor but pious aspirants after education. It is not likely that all its arrangements are perfect, as this never occurs in the beginning of human enterprises, but they are open to such improvements as experience shall show to be desirable. The expenditure of every dollar in meeting immediate necessities where the law will allow of it is thought by some to be advisable, but others have preferred to invest the principal and only expend the interest, which it is their right to do. All can be accommodated, and it is to be hoped that this fund will share in their benefactions.

The war of the rebellion having liberated more than four millions of slaves, January 1, 1863, measures were immediately adopted for their education. Among others, "The Freedmen's Aid Society" of the Methodist Episcopal Church was organised. This was presented to many of the Annual Conferences, and approved. It was also recognized by the General Conference of 1864, and recommended to the sympathy and patronage of the whole

church. Four years after it was adopted, and placed side by side with our older connectional societies. It has done, and is still doing, a grand work for our redeemed brethren of the South. Its collections and disbursements amounted, in 1874, to $37,028 29.

We must not omit to mention another important auxil iary to our work. Our foreign missionaries found great difficulty in getting access to mothers and daughters, who, by the customs of society, were kept concealed at home. This suggested the "Woman's Foreign Missionary Society," which was organized in 1869. It has 1,839 auxiliaries; 54,160 members; publishes "The Heathen Woman's Friend;" supports 19 missionaries, 100 schools, 108 Bible women and teachers, 150 orphans; and raised, in 1874, $55,406 26. It has done a noble work, and is destined to be a powerful agency in Christianizing the heathen world. And we are happy to add that it works in harmony with our general Missionary board.

Other changes of more or less magnitude have been made in our Discipline during the last twenty years, but we have not room here even to name them. Considering, however, that nearly five hundred and fifty resolutions were offered in the last General Conference, with nearly as many memorials and petitions proposing numerous modifications, our legislation has been remarkably moderate. For a few years during the rebellion we suffered considerable loss in members, but that being over, we soon repaired the loss and more, showing, during the years 1866 and 1867, a net gain of 215,822 members.

The Methodist Episcopal Church is now (January 1, 1875) divided into eighty Annual Conferences, located in the United States and Territories, the colony of Liberia, Germany and Switzerland, and India. It embraces 12

bishops, 10,854 travelling preachers, 12,581 local preachers, and 1,563,521 members; showing an increase since 1847, when the tide of separation had about ceased to flow South, of 7,212 travelling preachers, 7,668 local preachers, and 931,963 members.

Our Missionary, Sunday School, and other benevolent contributions keep pace with our numerical increase, but not with our marvellous investments for home accommodations. While we raised but $667,360 80 for missions last year, the value of our churches increased $3,956,235, and our parsonages $1,061,656.

Our Sunday School interests are justly entitled to special attention. Last year's reports show 18,628 schools, 200,492 officers and teachers, and 1,363,876 scholars, givIng an increase in one year of 597 schools, 3,312 officers and teachers, and 45,273 scholars.

Thus, with 12 bishops, 80 Annual Conferences, several hundred presiding elders, 10,854 travelling preachers, assisted by 12,581 local preachers, with more than a million and a half of members, the Methodist Episcopal Church stands before the world to-day, not finished, but in good condition to move forward in her noble work of spreading scriptural holiness over the world. At her birth, a little more than a hundred years ago, she had not one minister, or member, or church, or friend-not one dollar. At the bidding of a pious woman she sprang forth into being, and sang her first song.

Now she is numerous and strong. Besides all we have enumerated, she has 27 universities and colleges, training 5,000 students, and 65 seminaries, teaching more than 14,000 students, involving a net capital of about seven millions of dollars. To these may be added five theological institutions, whose business is to train our young min

isters for their work. The Book Concern, which is capable of producing all necessary books, tracts, and requisites for the use of the Church and the Sunday Schools-the Tract Society, whose business it is to purchase and circulate tracts at home and abroad-and the Sabbath School Union, whose special object is to supply new and poor schools with the necessary outfit for carrying on their work with efficiency. Properly appreciating these appliances, together with those offered by our Missionary, Church Extension, and other societies, it will be difficult to find so complete an organism for the spread of Christianity in the world. Yet it will all amount to little without work, -hard, persistent, self-sacrificing work. We have outgrown in many places the necessity of travelling on horseback, swimming rivers, and sleeping in log-cabins, but not the necessity of cross-bearing, personal sacrifice, and untiring exertion. Maintaining these in the spirit and enterprise of our heroic fathers, with our present capital of men and means, another century will plant the gospel in every nation and tribe under the whole heavens. But, laying them aside, we have no power to resist the waste of death for half that time.

Well may it be said, "what hath God wrought!" It is certain that such a work has never been accomplished in so short a time. And it is not less certain, that no system of religious operations has ever had so much opposition to endure and overcome. Yet it has gone steadily on in weal and woe, converting its worst enemies, and succeeding often in its greatest defeats. Its prosperity has been universal and unceasing; its adversity, only local and temporary; and its progress was never greater, or its prospects brighter, than at present.

With the Church of England, and other national establish

ments, we, of course, can institute no comparisons, because they swallow up all sects and parties that come within their bounds, whether good, bad, or indifferent. Nor is it fair to compare Methodists, and other evangelical churches, with those sects which pander to the popular taste, and receive persons of all descriptions to their fellowship, without regard to their religious character. Rich and popular societies, which say little of our obligations, beyond the observance of mere church rites, may draw around them an accumulation of chaff in which there will be little wheat. The compar ison, to be just and fair, should relate only to those whose circumstances are equal in other respects, and who require the same change of heart and life as the condition of their fellowship. But we will not be particular. A few facts will be sufficient for our purpose.

The Independents, of England, arose about the year 1600. They dissented from the establishment under the leadership of Rev. John Robinson, adopted Calvinistic views, and the model government of Congregationalism in New England. The Baptists appeared soon after, adopting similar views and modes of operation, but differing from the Independents in relation to the subjects of baptism and the manner in which it should be administered. They were afterward divided; a part becoming Arminians. The Presbyterians had commenced their career half a century before. But with this advantage as to time, and with other advantages we need not enumerate, the aggregate numbers and influence of all these denominations in England is not equal to that of the Methodists.

Methodism has not been less successful in America. The Congregationalists have occupied this field ever since the landing of the May Flower in 1620. They first settled the country, particularly New England, and for many years