155 39 Total from Sept. 1st, 1867, to May 30th, 1868,

The native Christians in Madura, India, writes Mr. Chandler, have resolved to devote the first Sabbath afternoon of every month to prayer for missions and to communicating missionary intelligence. At the meeting in January, a young lawyer gave a very clear account of the growth of Christian missions from the beginning. One man reported in regard to the mission in Madagascar, and one described the movement now going on in China. The statements of each were followed by prayer and singing. Would not our home churches do well to follow this example? Some are already beginning to give the afternoon instead of the evening to the Concert. The work of missions has increased so much on every hand, so much intelligence is at command, that it would seem easy to present sufficient matter of interest to command the attention of the whole congregation, instead of the "old guard" that too often keep up the concert. This work of missions is THE WORK OF THIS AGE, to which the Church is called by the providence of God as never before. To neglect the concert, to be uninformed and uninterested in the great movement in progress, is not even consistent with a healthy piety, to say nothing of one's duty to the cause of Christ.

The concert may be made the most interesting meeting of the month, as some pastors and some active Christian young men know by experience. In order to this, a few things are necessary to be kept in mind.

1. The meeting should not be prolonged beyond the hour. This should be the rule, with rare exceptions.

2. Variety in the exercises should be secured, and all the exercises, prayers, remarks, singing, should be short. Two stanzas are better than five, five minute speeches from a half a dozen, followed by short prayers, and perhaps a stanza or two that all can sing, are better than two or three long, prosy talks, with long extracts read from the Herald.

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3. Not everything that interests in reading is fit for the concert, speech, we say concert speech," for reading from magazines should be strictly proA letter, fresh from a missionary, may sometimes be read, in part, at least, if not too long. The information to be presented should be some one or more items of interest to the speaker himself, and set forth in his own language, with appropriate brief comment. The items should be put into their proper connections, geographical and historical, so as to be understood. Some incident that would otherwise be of little interest, will gain power, at once, if properly located in the minds of the audience, by pointing out the scene on the map, or connecting it with the history of some missionary or station.

MONTHLY COLLECTION FOR MISSIONS.

Take it up in the Church Sabbath morning. Every one will then have an opportunity of giving something, and only a part of the congregation will be at the concert unless held in the afternoon. Had this been done the past year, the American Board would not now be short of means, and no special appeal would have been necessary. It is a good thing to be reminded of the great ad

vantages, social and spiritual, for which we are indebted to the gospel, and to help extend them to our fellow-men. Had it not been for foreign missions, we might have been, to-day, what our ancestors were a thousand years ago. All the social and civil blessings of our lives, all the multiplied forms of Christian activity, the glory of our age and country, originated in the gospel. It is first in the order of human progress. Contributions to Foreign Missions should, therefore, be first in the thoughts and prayers of all who love the cause of Christ.

A MALICIOUS UNTRUTH.

"It takes a dollar to send a dollar to foreign missions; I prefer to give my money where it will all tell." This story has been repeated long enough. The published reports of every dollar received and expended by the American Board show to all who will take the trouble to examine, that for the first fifty years of its history, the entire expense of collecting from all the wide field, and disbursing over a still larger field, including the cost of publications given away in order to make the churches acquainted with our work, was only about six and a half per cent. It is a little more now in consequence of increased expenses of living. Will any business man undertake this work for so small a commission? "Everything for Christ, nothing for ourselves," is the principle of those connected with the Board, whether missionaries or secretaries, and all salaries and expenses correspond.

WHO IS TO MAKE UP THE DEFICIENCY ?

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"Business has been dull, our people are not making much, and if we hold our own this year we shall do well. You must not expect our church to do more than last year." Who is to make up the deficiency? More laborers have gone out, more native agents are employed, the progress we have prayed for is being made, new fields are opening, new churches are being gathered, everything is encouraging, what is to be done? Expenses of all kinds are increasing, and this and that church is saying, no increase this year." Retrench? How can we? On salaries that barely cover expenses, or on the number of missionaries, so very inadequate to the pressing necessities of the hour? They are thousands of miles away; before we could get them home, times may change. Retrenchment in the foreign field is a very different thing from what it is at home. You can dismiss your men here when business does not pay, and those dismissed can go into something else till wanted again. But how stands the case with the missionaries in Micronesia, in South Africa, in Eastern Turkey? But shall we even consider such a thing for a moment, as stopping our work, dismissing any faithful follower of Christ from this service, so near his heart? One cent a day from each of the members of our churches in sympathy with the Board, the rich making up for the poor members, —— will amply supply our necessities. Is this too great a thank-offering for the multiplied blessings of our Christian homes?-too great an offering to extend these blessings to other lands? How will it look to us in "a little while?”

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