Relation of children to the church.

Rev. George B. Spalding, D. D., of New Hampshire, read a paper1 on the relation of children to the church, and it was voted, That it be referred to a committee.

Congregational Sunday-School and Publishing Society.

After singing, Rev. Albert E. Dunning and Dea. Samuel B. Capen, of Massachusetts, made statements2 in behalf of the Congregational Sunday-School and Publishing Society.

New West Education Commission.

Rev. Charles R. Bliss, of Illinois, and Miss Sybil Carter, of Illinois, made statements3 in behalf of the New West Education Commission.

Committees.

The business committee, in place of the resolution recommitted, offered the following, which was adopted:

Resolved, That a committee be chosen on the Congregational Sunday-School and Publishing Society, and a committee on the New West Education Commission.

Committees were chosen as follows:

On report of publishing committee.

Amos C. Barstow, of Rhode

Island; Rev. Israel P. Warren, D. D., of Maine; Rev. William A. Robinson, of New York.

On paper on relation of children to the church. - Rev. George M. Adams, of Massachusetts; Rev. Benjamin Tappan, D. D., of Maine; Rev. Austin Hazen, of Vermont.

On Congregational Sunday-School and Publishing Society. Rev. Robert Nourse, of Wisconsin; Rev. Smith Baker, of Massachusetts; Rev. Charles O. Brown, of Michigan.

On New West Education Commission. Rev. George S. F. Savage, D. D., of Illinois; Rev. Henry E. Barnes, of Massachusetts; George M. Woodruff, of Connecticut.

Rev. George B.

On report of committee of 1880 on pastorate. Spalding, D. D., of New Hampshire; Rev. E. Hoyt Byington, of Massachusetts; Martin D. Follett, of Ohio.

Publishing committee.

The secretary, the registrar, the treasurer, Rev. Marshall M. Cutter and Charles A. Richardson, of Massachusetts.

Session of 1886.

Rev. Frederick A. Noble, D. D., of Illinois, presented an invi

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tation to the Council to meet in 1886 in Union Park Congregational church, Chicago, Ill., which was received.

At 5.45, after prayer by Rev. Cyrus W. Wallace, D. D., of New Hampshire, and singing, a recess was taken till 7.30.

FRIDAY EVENING, October 12.

Fourth centennial of birthday of Martin Luther.

At 7.30, after the reading of the Scriptures and singing, the committee on the fourth centennial of the birthday of Martin Luther reported the following minute and recommendation, which were adopted:

This Council, representing the Congregational churches of the United States, mindful of the near approach of the fourth centennial of the birthday of Martin Luther, the foremost leader of the great reformation, enters upon its records this testimony to its profound admiration of the man and his work, and to its desire to unite with all who devoutly recognize his eminent services to the church of Christ, and to human welfare, in perpetuating his memory, in commending to public regard the principles of Christianity with whose revival his name is identified, and rendering praise to the great Head of the church for the gift of one so qualified to lead it forth from subjection to error and usurped authority into the liberty of the gospel and to the pure fountains of truth opened in sacred Scripture.

And we therefore recommend to our brethren, the pastors of the churches of our communion, that on the 11th of November next, they take occasion, in such ways as shall seem to them expedient, to direct the thoughts of their congregations to the reformation effected, under God, by Martin Luther and his coadjutors, and especially to the great doctrines of justification by faith only, of the supreme authority of the Word of God, of the priesthood of every believer, of the right of private judgment; to the fruitfulness of these principles in the promotion of civil and religious liberty; and to the significance of Luther's personal religious experience and of the divine conduct of his life, as an evidence of the power and purpose of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to carry forward the work of human redemption to the predestined consummation in his own blessed and eternal reign.

Pertinent addresses were made by Rev. Egbert C. Smyth, D. D.,

of Massachusetts, and Rev. Joseph T. Duryea, D. D., of Massachusetts.

American Home Missionary Society.

After singing, Rev. Walter M. Barrows, D. D., of New York, and Rev. Joseph Ward, D. D., of Dakota territory, made statements' in behalf of the American Home Missionary Society.

By invitation, the assistant moderator, Rev. Cushing Eells, D. D., of Washington territory, addressed the Council.

Sunday schools.

A memorial from the General Association of Massachusetts, and a memorial from the General Convention of Wisconsin, both relating to Sunday schools, were received and referred to the committee on the Congregational Sunday-School and Publishing Society.

At 9.30, after prayer by Rev. George F. Magoun, D. D., of Iowa, singing, and the benediction by the assistant moderator, Rev. Cushing Eells, D. D., of Washington territory, the Council adjourned till 9 a. m., Saturday, Oct. 13.

SATURDAY MORNING, October 13.

At 9, the moderator took the chair, and prayer was offered by Rev. Henry P. Higley, of Wisconsin.

The minutes of Friday were revised and approved.

An order of business for the morning was approved.

Provisional committee.

In addition to the secretary, registrar, and treasurer, members ex officio, the following were chosen members of the provisional committee, with the understanding that the committee elect a chairman :

Rev. Edward P. Goodwin, D. D., of Illinois; Rev. Julius H. Seelye, D. D., of Massachusetts; Rev. Henry Fairbanks, PH. D., of Vermont; Rev. George F. Magoun, D. D., of Iowa; Rev. William M. Taylor, D. D., of New York; Samuel B. Capen, of Massachusetts; E. S. Jones, of Minnesota.

Auditor.

David N. Camp, of Connecticut, was chosen auditor.

Devotion.

The Council spent the half-hour from 9.30 till 10 in devotion, led by Jonathan N. Harris, of Connecticut.

Rev. William H. Hubbard, of New Hampshire, made a personal explanation.

American Missionary Association.

Rev. Michael E. Strieby, D. D., of New York, made a statement1 in behalf of the American Missionary Association, which was referred.

Sunday schools.

After singing, the memorials of the General Association of Massachusetts and of the General Convention of Wisconsin, relating to Sunday schools, were recalled. The former was read, and the latter was presented and followed by an address on the same subject, by Rev. Robert Nourse, of Wisconsin.

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Ministerial standing.

A memorial from Berkshire North Association, Massachusetts, relating to the pastorate and ministerial standing, was read, and ordered to be referred to a committee, to report in 1886.

D. D.,

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Indian affairs.

A memorial from the General Association of Dakota on Indian affairs was read, and an address was made by Rev. Joseph Ward, of Dakota territory, and it was voted, That a committee of five be chosen to prepare a bill establishing a bureau of Indian education, and that this committee so present this bill before Congress as to insure, if possible, its passage.

Credentials.

The committee on credentials made a report, in part, which was accepted.

By-laws and rules.

The following were chosen the committee on changes in the bylaws and rules of order: Rev. William H. Moore, of Connecticut; Rev. George W. Andrews, of Alabama; Dea. F. J. Lamb, of Wisconsin.

Monument to John Robinson.

The committee of 1880 on a monument to John Robinson made

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a report,1 which was accepted, and the committee were continued, namely: Rev. Henry M. Dexter, D. D., of Massachusetts; Rev. Samuel C. Bartlett, D. D., of New Hampshire; Rev. George E. Day, D. D., of Connecticut; Rev. John K. McLean, of California; Alfred S. Barnes, of New York; Eliphalet W. Blatchford, of Illinois; William L. Greene, of Massachusetts.

Committees.

The committee of 1880 to correspond with the General Associations of New York and New Jersey, failing to report, was discharged.

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The committee of 1880 on Indian affairs made a report, which was accepted.

Secretary, registrar, and treasurer.

Rev. Henry A. Hazen, of Massachusetts, was chosen secretary. The following preamble and resolutions were adopted : Whereas, for the larger part of a generation, the Congregational churches of these United States have enjoyed the services of one whose genius for such work, and whose painstaking and persevering endeavor wellnigh created those annual statistics of these churches which they have gradually perfected to an excellence unrivalled by those of any other department of these churches of Christ; therefore,

Resolved, That the National Council gratefully recognizes these long-continued, distinguished, and useful labors of the Rev. Alonzo H. Quint, D. D., with an earnest prayer for his personal welfare and his continued usefulness in the service of the Master.

A response was made by Rev. Alonzo H. Quint, D. D., of Massachusetts.

Rev. William M. Moore, of Connecticut, was chosen registrar, and Rev. Lavalette Perrin, D D., of Connecticut, was chosen treas

urer.

Committees.

The committee on the report of the committee of 1880 on the pastorate made a report, which was accepted.

The committee on the report of the publishing committee made a report, which was accepted.

American Home Missionary Society.

The committee on the American Home Missionary Society reported the following resolutions, which were adopted : -

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2 Not furnished the publishing committer