evident than in the immediate past. Though the enrollment of these two institutions is yet small compared with the cost of operation, and their Congregational output too small to meet the demands of the vacant churches, they are contributing greatly to the quality of the ministry.

Most of our colleges are still chiefly secondary schools, doing a little college work. Our fine group of the larger secondary schools are able to do most of the work that the colleges do, and constitute one of our most rewarding fields of service. As a group they have made excellent progress. The process of exchanging outgrown plants and cramped lo⚫cations for modern ones with more ample playgrounds and facilities, is still going on. The notable example of this year is Ballard Normal School, Macon, part of the property of which has recently been sold to the city hospital. The schoolhouse site is still occupied and it may take a year or two more to complete the relocation and construction of this rarely useful school. LeMoyne Institute, Memphis, Tenn., has begun to offer courses, particularly for the training of teachers, parallel to the first two college years, and may develop into a Junior college.

The rural secondary schools, as a group, are finding it difficult to get the leadership necessary to fulfill their ideals of education for country boys and girls. It takes more capital to do effective farming than most of them can command, and most of the workers available for such service are not modernly trained in the best current methods of rural education. Changes in leadership have been necessary, and large patience will be needed to work out the problems of this group. Notable successes, on the other hand, demonstrate beyond a question that our ideals are possible of realization with the proper leadership. Gloucester High School, for example, at Cappahosic, Virginia, is a genuinely modern rural school; and Brick School, Bricks, North Carolina, with more complicated problems, has made great progress. It has just occupied a modern school building of excellent architectural design.

The unique school event of the year was the community pageant prepared and carried out by Saluda Seminary. Not only was it picturesque in its mountain scene and setting,

but its literary quality attracted the appreciative attention of some of the pageant experts of the country. With all their rewarding discovery of promising individuals, the mountain schools have largely educated the best young people away from the mountains. The effect of the Saluda pageant was to give the local community a pride in its past and its peculiar environment and quality of life, and a hopefulness for itself and its own possibilities which should be an emphatic note in all missionary education.

In its details the work of the Negro churches has been unusually interesting and efficient. The three additional field. superintendents, appointed a year ago, have amply justified their election. The fruits of their work are evidenced by a hopeful spirit everywhere, by an unusually enthusiastic series of local and state conference meetings, and by special institutes for ministers. More systematic investigation is now possible as to the needs of new fields, and missionary grants are more accurately adjusted to the financial resources of old fields, as well as more careful study given to current church problems.

The Indian work continues under six missionary superintendents of as many reservations in the Northwest, and in California under two pastors, each of whom gives half time to it in connection with white work under the state conferences. On the whole it has been well sustained. There have been gains in number of workers employed, outstations occupied, church membership, Sunday School enrollment and benevolent contributions, though a falling off in money raised toward self-support.

The Porto Rican work has been less afflicted by sickness and economic disasters than in recent years. Though with some difficulties from ill health, the missionaries have in the main been able to stay at their posts. The economic conditions of the island is still unsatisfactory, and retrenchment in the work of public education threatens to throw new burdens on missionary agencies.

The Oriental missions were never in so good condition as now. This is largely due to the active co-operation of the California Conference in the administration of the work. The property of the California Oriental Missions in use by the Oriental work has recently had special study, preliminary to its probable transfer to the Association which already has residuary rights in it. The property is in excellent average condition, largely because most of it is under the immediate oversight of American churches who will not tolerate in their own communities such inadequate plants and facilities as remote fields are supposed to put up with. On the other

hand, there are very large gaps in building equipment. Except for the San Francisco Mission House, not one of the larger cities has a single plant at all commensurate with the needs of either branch of Oriental work. Most of the missions are housed in remodeled and generally rented store buildings. Not a single school room is properly lighted or ventilated according to legal requirements. It will be expensive to buy the land and erect the buildings necessary for the proper development of the work. This important task should be begun in the immediate future.

ALASKAN MISSION

The work at Cape Prince of Wales and outstations has been carried on during the year under a temporary arrangement by Mr. and Mrs. Maguire, the Government school teachers. Great economies have been necessary by reason of the failure of the reindeer herd to be profitable and the unfortunate management of previous missionaries. The religious side of the work has continued aggressively and a clear field is now open for rehabilitation of the Alaskan work as soon as the proper missionaries can be found. We are looking for some one who is both minister and doctor, and whose wife, if possible, is a nurse.

HAWAIIAN MISSIONS

The Association has continued its financial co-operation with the Hawaiian Evangelical Association, which has immediate administration of the work on these islands.

FINANCIAL

The total receipts for the year for current work have been $401,517.93, á decrease of $38,000.99 from the receipts of the previous year.

The payments have been $417,203.30, a decrease of $20,953.82 from the payments of the previous year.

Owing to this decrease in receipts there is a deficiency of $15,685.37 upon the year's work. Deducting from this the credit balance at the beginning of the year of $1,039.06, there is left a debit balance of $14,646.31 to be carried over to the coming year.

The following table shows the current receipts and expenditures for the fiscal year ending September 30th, as compared with those of the previous year:

Total from Churches, etc.. $144,236.82 $146,426.40 $2,189.58

Individuals..

63,569.97 58,913.05

4,656.92

It will be noted that the donations from churches and their affiliated organizations show a net increase of $2,189.58, although there is a decrease of $1,420.54 in the amount received from the Women's Societies.

Gifts from individuals show a decrease of $4,656.92, and there are also decreases of $1,355.44 in the amount received from Income Account and $1,600 in the amount paid to institutions from the Slater Fund. The receipts from tuition of $66,143.01 are $6,443.10 less than those of last year, but as the ability of our pupils to pay is largely dependent upon the cotton situation in the South, this decrease is considerably less than was expected in the early part of the fiscal year.