The Home Department. We have six separate societies with their officers and charters conducting this work, which is as homogeneous as that of the foreign field. It is possible, therefore, to combine them into one inclusive body, in this way: Let each of the six societies change its charter, if necessary, and its constitution, so that each State organization of Congregational churches may choose (1) one delegate for the State body; (2) one for every fifty churches or major fraction; and (3) one for every $10,000 or major fraction thereof, contributed for the whole home work the year preceding the election. Then let each State body in electing the said delegates expressly choose them by one ballot as delegates to each and all of these six home societies. This point is of the greatest legal importance; for in such case the same body of delegates constitutes each of the said societies in turn as its business may come on for transaction. Thus no charter will be vacated by the transference of its trust or control to another body, but each corporation will remain intact with its charter rights and privileges. Prudential and executive committees could be elected by the body for each of the respective societies, to conduct its business during the year, while the election of secretaries, treasurers, and other officers could be made by the body in session or be referred to the respective committees. The representation, thus apportioned, may be learned from columns 1, 2, 5, and 6 of the preceding table. Total present number of delegates thus given, 334. 1. These two annual feasts would cost less in current expenses than our present method, would bring the societies into representative connection with the churches, would preserve all charter rights, would harmonize their fields and labors, would combine their magazines, would give to the smaller societies more desirable anniversary meetings, would render it easy to amalgamate those doing the same work, and would increase the confidence of business men and churches in the conduct and economy of the home work; nor is the plan difficult to handle, requiring only the election of a few delegates in a State annually. 2. This plan of adjustment has this further advantage, that it can be applied at once to one department, and afterwards to the other department; also, that it may be applied to any two or more of the societies in the Home Department, as they may elect. State bodies in choosing delegates would need only to specify the societies by name, which adopt the plan. V. THROUGH ONE BOARD. But in the opinion of some of your committee the simplest, cheapest, most comprehensive plan seems to be to apply the same rule of apportionment used of the Home Department in the preceding plan to the seven societies. In that case the same body of delegates elected by the State associations of churches as delegates to each and all of the seven societies, would constitute and control the home and the foreign work as one department of labor. This plan would give the apportionment found in columns 1, 2, 7 and 8 of the preceding table, and would require only 379 delegates, with one or more yearly meetings, as should be found best to stir up interest in the churches. : It were easy to make such a body and the National Council identical (1) Make the Council annual; (2) enlarge the scope and function of the Council to include the work of the societies; (3) elect delegates on the basis above given or on that of the National Council, or on a combination of the two; and (4) choose delegates to membership in the Council and to each of the societies. This avoids the chief objection to the plan first given. VI. THROUGH ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES. If it should be needful, while our churches are passing from their early relation to the societies to their permanent future relation of control, to adopt a compromise and transient plan of adjustment, the committee would suggest the following: Let the State bodies entitled to three or more delegates, according to the table given above, elect two thirds of the whole number, as near as may be, and the societies one third; but let the States which are thus entitled to less than three delegates elect them all. This would give to the American Board 64 to elect out of a total of 217. If the ratio be made three fourths to one fourth in all States whose quota of delegates is four and over, then by a similar rule the American Board would have 47 out of the total of 217 to choose. As it belongs to independent churches to control all their affairs, parish and missionary alike, their worship and their work whether at home or abroad, this compromise adjustment could not if adopted be permanent; for it is asking out-siders in to administer church affairs. This is the plan which the churches are rejecting, and permanent peace will not be secured until it wholly discarded. PLANS APPLIED. Whatever plan, if any, should be approved by the churches and societies will come gradually into operation, since no corporate or life members can be denied their right to vote in their respective societies. Under plan IV., the displacement of present voting members in the foreign department by delegates elected by the churches would be slow, as shown by a comparison of the present membership of the American Board with the basis of apportionment given in this report. Such comparison reveals : 1. That at present only Missouri and Vermont have the same number of corporate members as the said basis of apportionment would give them. 2. That the following State bodies exceed their apportioned quota by the numbers against their names: California, 3; Connecticut, 7; Illinois, 12; Massachusetts, 35; New Jersey, 3; New York, 11; Ohio, 5; Rhode Island, 3. 3. That the following State bodies have at present less than their apportioned quota by the number set against them : — Alabama, 1; Arizona, 1; Arkansas, 1; Colorado, 1; Florida, 2; Georgia, 2; Indiana, 2; Iowa, 2; Kansas, 4; Louisiana, 1; Maine, 1; Michigan, 1; Minnesota, 2; Mississippi, 1; Montana, 1; Nebraska, 4; New Hampshire, 2; North Carolina, 2; North Dakota, 1; Oklahoma, 1; Oregon, 1; Pennsylvania, 3; South Dakota, 4; Tennessee, 2; Utah, 1; Washington, 3; Wisconsin, 2. These deficiencies could be filled as soon as the plan should be adopted, and vacancies, as they should occur, after the proper number according to the apportionment should have been reached. Until then no real vacancy could occur in States exceeding their quota. In the Home Department the full quota of delegates according to the apportionment for each State body in columus 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the basis of apportionment given in this report, could be immediately chosen, and vacancies thereafter filled as they should occur; but corporate and life members would still have their right to vote in their respective societies. If, therefore, no corporate and voting life members should be made after the adoption of the plan, it would be twenty-five or thirty years before the present voting members would wholly disappear from the rolls of the societies. In four leading societies they would for years constitute a majority. RECOMMENDATION. The committee having thus put before this Council the foregoing plans, might well leave the choice between them to your wisdom. But we were appointed to do more than this. A majority of your committee reporting would commend plan No. IV. as, on the whole, the best for our present environment. It gives two annual meetings, one in the spring for the home work of all sorts, and one in the autumn for the foreign work. It insures the speedy unification of the home work, so much needed. It preserves the legal entity of each society. It is not difficult in execution. It covers the whole ground. For these reasons, they trust the Council will give it approval, and that the societies will aid the churches in putting it into speedy operation. The committee make this report in the firm conviction that our National Benevolent Societies and our churches will alike be blessed by making, with as little delay as possible, the former the representative and responsible agents of the latter. We approve of plan No. IV., and ask the Council to recommend it to the societies and State bodies for adoption. CYRUS NORTHROP. FRANK T. BAYLEY. AMORY H. BRADFORD. CHARLES M. LAMSON. A. HASTINGS ROSS, Secretary Committee. I am of opinion that, upon Congregational principles, the churches contributing should be the electors of the trustees (by whatever name those trustees are called, whether delegates or otherwise), to whom the general direction and control of the missionary contribu |