consultation would facilitate any desirable improvements and the more prompt publication of the Year-Book. The various statistical secretaries, in proportion to the number of our churches in the States which they represent, are men who do patient and laborious, but poorly paid work, for the interests of the denomination as a whole, and they well deserve this recognition of their services. As it now stands, they have no part in the proceedings of the meeting, and hence very few of them attend; but if they were recognized as members ex-officiis, it might be reasonably expected that many of them, at least, would always be present and render valuable assistance in the proceedings, thus adding an element that would tend to make the Council more truly than ever the representative body of the denomination. C. A. RICHARDSON. REPORT OF TREASURER OF NATIONAL CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL, 1880-1883. I ACCEPTED the appointment to this office by the Council which met at St. Louis with great reluctance, knowing the difficulties which attend the administration of a treasury where there is no judicial power to enforce the action of the body served, and aware of the debt already incurred by the agents of the previous Council, largely in consequence of the failure of the churches to contribute their quotas toward its necessary expenses. But individuals present proposed to cancel the debt at once by subscriptions for that purpose, and it was believed that the churches would in time pay all past dues and meet cheerfully the apportionment voted by the Council for the next three years. I have diligently and with no little patient effort sought to secure this result, and am happy to report progress toward ultimate success. All the bills against the Council have been paid promptly upon presentation, though the returns from the churches have left a constant burden upon the treasurer, averaging about thirty-five hundred dollars. There is, however, a growing disposition to pay the assessments voted by the Council, and to be more punctual in the payments, and in some States special impediments in the way of this have been removed. Where the treasurer of the State body is authorized to collect this assessment with other expenses it greatly simplifies and expedites the work. By the last Council it was voted, "That the treasurer be authorized to ask at his discretion offerings to the treasury for its present relief and future efficiency." With this as my authority I caused to be issued and sent by mail to every Congregational church in the country the Minutes of the Council, with brief notices of the meeting at St. Louis by members from different sections of the land, and a statement of the condition of the treasury and its pressing needs. By personal appeals to individuals, in which I was greatly aided by the Hon. A. C. Barstow, of the Provisional Committee, I obtained from generous men and churches additions to the amount subscribed for the debt at St. Louis, till it reached the sum of $2,105. This amount, with what was paid by the churches of arrears, more than covered the debt of $2,782.88. As some of the subscribers for the debt requested that their gifts might be credited to their respective State bodies on the account of arrears, the indebtedness of such has been lessened in a few instances without their action. The treasury is constantly, and at times seriously, embarrassed by the fact that the dues from some of the States are not paid till a full year, and sometimes even two years after the time when the bills they are designed to cover are due and must be met. The treasurer is thus compelled to borrow. Those who have confidence in the probity of the churches may be willing to loan money at reasonable rates without other security, but this is not true of the banks, or of all individuals, nor is this the proper way to administer the finances of a National Council. The Provisional Committee, therefore, at their meeting in July, 1882, advised the raising of a fund of $3,000, to be known and used only as a security fund, the income available for current expenses. My appeals for contributions to this fund have as yet brought only a few promises and one payment. It may be well for this Council to express by vote its approval or disapproval of this measure. While there can be no legal obligation imposed by the votes of this Council, we must admit a moral obligation on the part of all churches represented in it to abide by the decisions and co-operate in the measures adopted by a clear majority of the votes here cast in accordance with the Constitution and rules of the body. This moral obligation should be felt by the pastors and the churches as the only substantial foundation upon which we can stand in cooperative efforts for maintaining and extending the principles and methods of our order. Unless we admit this as a seminal principle, our organization can have in it no power of development. All that the Council has ever done, or can do toward replenishing its treasury, is to request the churches to contribute for this purpose a fair proportion according to their membership, or to ask churches and individuals to give for this object. If the assessments are fully and promptly paid by the churches there will be no lack of funds. If not, there is no remedy but an appeal to individuals who have perhaps already paid their assessment. I am happy to report an expressed desire on the part of the churches generally to do their part in good faith. The assessment voted by the last Council will meet all the expenses if fully paid, and leave a small balance in the treasury. But this would not be true if the receipts for advertisements in the Minutes and the Year-Book were left out of the account. These receipts have been quite variable and uncertain, while reasonable objections are urged by some to the use of the Year-Book for this purpose. The agent who has secured most of these advertisements has had large experience in this kind of work, and reports special hindrances to future success. In view of all the facts, it seems desirable that the assessments voted by this Council should be so increased as to cover the entire expenses from year to year. If the same course is pursued in printing and distributing the Minutes and Year-Book as was ordered by the Council of 1880, the average yearly expenses will be about $5,700; to meet which an assessment of one and a half cents per member is the least that would insure adequate returns. If the Council should vote an assessment of two cents per member for 1884, and one cent per member for 1885 and 1886, it would doubtless yield an adequate revenue. I have paid out during my term of office as follows: DISBURSEMENTS. For publishing and distributing 8,000 copies of the "Religious $241 25 For publishing and distributing 8,000 copies of Minutes of 1880, 2,278 94 For publishing and distributing 8,000 copies of Year-Book of 1881. $3,248 77 For publishing and distributing 8,000 copies of Year-Book of 1882. . 3,030 20 For publishing and distributing 8,500 copies of Year-Book of 1883. For note and interest to H. M. Dexter bills due and unpaid at the Council of 1880 3,288 17 2,782 88 34 00 240 00 869 40 681 53 126 95 195 00 14 83 $17,031 92 I hereby certify that I have examined the accounts of the Rev. Lavalette Perrin, D. D., as treasurer of the National Council, and have compared them with the vouchers therefor, and have found said accounts to be correct, and that the amount received by the treasurer is sixteen thousand and thirteen dollars and thirty-three cents ($16,013.33), and the amount paid out by him is seventeen thousand and thirty-one dollars and ninety-two cents ($17, 031.92). HARTFORD, Sept. 18, 1883. DAVID N. CAMP, Auditor. By the Council of 1880 I was instructed to report to this Council the names, donors, and the amount of their donations for the payment of the existing debt. I herewith give the names and sums in the order of payment: |