that Mission, have contributed freely of their money, have aided very especially in the promotion of its welfare, and are entitled to full credit. There was no intention on the part of the contributor of the article in the March monthly to give to the Home Mission Society the credit which was due to the women, and we are very glad to make this correction.

A NEW YEAR.

The first of April is the beginning of a new fiscal year for the Home Mission Society. The record for the year closing March 31st is completed. The books are balanced, new plans are formulated, and the Society enters upon the work of another twelve months. Of course the work of one year overlaps the work of the succeeding year; there is no abrupt transition, there is no violent breaking with the past; there are no radical changes in method or purpose; the work of the Society continues along the same high lines, in pursuance of the same lofty purposes, following, substantially, the methods which sixty-three years of experience have demonstrated to be wise and practicable. Nevertheless, it is a New Year, calling for a readjustment of its forces, such remodeling of its methods as experience may dictate, and such reapportionment of its funds as is necessitated or warranted by the liberality of its friends.

The period of transition is necessarily one of more or less anxiety to the officers in the Rooms and to the Executive Board, as well as to the workers on the field. It is a time of searching review of the work of the past year, of comparison of expenditures with receipts; of comparison of the year past with previous years; of careful study of the situation with a view of forecasting probable receipts for the year to come; of scrutinizing, critically, all the various kinds of work carried on by the Society-missionary, educational, and church edifice work; with a view of rectifying any mistakes that have been made, of critically estimating the relative importance of different claims upon the Society; of seeing where retrenchment may

be possible, if necessary, without serious detriment to the cause, and of deciding on advance movements in accordance with the manifest indications of Providence. Many perplexing questions arise. Many conflicting claims confront us. Much uncertainty, necessarily, clouds the future, and those upon whom the responsibility rests are obliged to use their best judgment, follow, if possible, the clearest indications of the promptings of the Spirit, and when they have done their utmost, leave the rest with the Master.

The field of the Home Mission Society is North America, and includes, practically, the whole extent of the United States and Mexico, with a portion of Canada. It has three great departments of work: preaching the Gospel, prosecuting educational work on a vast scale, and assisting in the erecting of meeting-houses over a wide expanse of country. It deals with sixteen different nationalities, and is confronted not only with the Negro problem, but with race problems generally. It has to do with directing the work of more than eleven hundred missionaries and teachers, widely scattered; is called upon to give advice in a great variety of circumstances; it has to do with personal idiosyncrasies, local prejudices; it is hampered on every side by a lack of funds for the prosecution of its work, and by such limitations as to make it simply impossible that all of its acts of administration should seem at all times, to all people, wise and just.

The final test of all human endeavor is the Divine judgment. We must all give an account in the Last Day, of every word and thought and deed. Our work must pass

the searching scrutiny of Omniscience, and be judged by One who cannot err. His judgment is final: from it there is no appeal. To an honest worker there is great consolation in the thought that that final judgment will be absolutely just. Every worker will receive the award which is his due. It matters little what the judgment of men may be, whether unduly favorable or unjust, since man's judgment shifts and

represented, after which further notice will be given. In a work of such complexity as this, involving so many interests, we must, of necessity "make haste slowly." It is confidently believed, by those most intimately acquainted with the facts, that when practical plans are perfected, and co-operation fully established, there will be the beginning of a new era in this most important work. There is manifested, very generally, a disposition to look, not back, but toward the future, to seek and follow the Divine guidance, and to subordinate, absolutely and unequivocally, every consideration other than the one great purpose of promoting the advancement of Christ's kingdom, by bringing the Baptists of America, North and South, white and colored, into fraternal relationship, by virtue of which the millions. of young Negroes, whom God has committed so largely to our care, may be brought into His kingdom, educated and trained for lives of honor and usefulness.

THE FOUNDING FUND.

The Baptist Young People's Union of America is making a heroic endeavor to complete the sum of $50,000 needed to create a fund for a working capital in connection with its important work. While the Home Mission Society cannot contribute any money out of its treasury to aid in this important work, it is in full sympathy with the effort to secure it. We reproduce here the action unanimously taken by the Home Mission Society in its meeting held in Denver in May, 1893:

"At a conference of representatives of the American Baptist Missionary Union, the American Baptist Publication Society, the American Baptist Home Mission Society, and the Baptist Young People's Union of America, in Denver, May 25th, 1893, the representatives of the three first named societies unanimously agreed to recommend to each of these societies the adoption of the following:

"Believing that the Baptist Young People's Union of America has within it great possibilities of good for the denomina

tion and for the Kingdom of Christ at large, and finding its management heartily disposed to make it auxiliary to our general societies in awakening the interest of the young people and in securing their offerings. for the work of these societies, we do cordially commend the Union to the denomination, and do heartily approve of its efforts to secure a fund of not less than $50,000 for the general purposes of the organization, as indispensable to its efficient working and its largest success.'

FREDERICK DOUGLASS.

The death of Frederick Douglass removes a very striking figure from American life. Born a slave, educating himself under the most trying circumstances, forcing his way to the front by his indomitable energy, achieving wide reputation as a man of parts, and no mean orator, he has long been recognized as a notable example of the possibilities of achievement by a colored man. He was, very naturally, an inveterate hater of slavery, and an earnest advocate of its destruction. He pled manfully for his race, and insisted on the effacement of the colorline, politically and socially. His position. was unique, and his work exceptional. He was a man of noticeable physical proportions, dignity of bearing, and wherever he went attracted attention. He was not, properly speaking, a great man, and could hardly be called a leader in any true sense; but it cannot be denied that he was a great force in our national life, and has done much to remove the prejudice against his race, and to open the way to prominence and eminence to the talented and worthy colored man. The recognition which he received while living, and the public respect paid him when dead, are creditable to the good sense of the American people, as well as a tribute to his worth as a man.

HAVE YOU MADE YOUR WILL?

During the past dozen years The American Baptist Home Mission Society has received more than a million dollars from

Of

legacies an average of nearly one hundred thousand dollars a year. These contributions, flowing steadily into our treasury year by year, have enabled the Society to go on with its great work and to accomplish magnificent results, which could not have been accomplished without them. course, it is desirable, where practicable, that living Christians should participate in the active campaign of the Church, and not one should postpone giving, hoping to make amends for a lifetime of selfishness by making generous provision in a will for benevolent work. We are called upon to work while it is day, "for the night cometh wherein no man can work." It is a privilege to give, at even a personal sacrifice, and thus be an active participant in the great victories for Christ. Nevertheless, many persons who are active givers during their lifetime supplement their donations by liberal bequests, and thus, though dead, their works do follow them.

Many others, who, by reason of circumstances, are unable to participate as they would wish to, by yearly contributions to missionary causes, have the satisfaction of transferring to the missionary societies a part, or all, of their substance when they no longer need their income for their own support.

It is always safe while we are in vigorous health to make a will, and thus dispose of our property in such manner as will most redound to the glory of God. We are all stewards; every dollar we have is held by us in trust for Him who gave it. The power to get weaith comes from God. Money is his minister, and should be allowed to serve Him. If you have not made your will, will you not give attention to it, and will you not remember the Home Mission Society? Use the following form of bequest:

"I give and bequeath to The American Baptist Home Mission Society, formed in New York in the year eighteen hundred and thirty-two, the sum of for the general purposes of said Society."

A letter just received from Rev. Walter P. King, of Tahlequah, Ind. Ter., informs us of the death, after a brief illness, of Rev. Geo. Swimmer, one of our old and faithful Indian missionaries. We hope to give further particulars in our next number.

UTAH.

BY REV. H. L. MOREHOUSE, FIELD SECRETARY. When Brigham Young, in 1847, led the advance column of Mormons through the Wasatch Mountains, and founded a city between this range on the East and the Great Salt Lake on the West, this region, and all beyond it to the Pacific and to the Rio Grande, belonged to Mexico. After their bitter experience in Nauvoo, Ill., and elsewhere, the Mormon leaders doubtless desired to get out of the jurisdiction of the United States into another country, where they could have largest liberty in the establishment of their Church-and-State kingdom, and in the propagation of their peculiar views. There seems to have been some uncertainty at first about their destination, for a ship-load of Mormons went via Cape Horn, to California, while "the Mormon Battalion" under General Kearney went through the unbroken path from Santa Fe to Southern California, in 1847. The mass of the Mormons, however, gravitated to Salt Lake City. They named the country "Deseret," which is said to mean "The Land of the Honey-Bee." The common Mormon symbol on their public buildings is a beehive. In 1848 the United States acquired the whole southwestern territory from Mexico, and the Mormons found themselves under the authority of the General Government. With great promptness and tact, in 1849, they organized a Territorial government and, in 1850, applied for admission as a State of the Union. This was refused. United States officers sent to "Deseret" were forcibly expelled. Brigham Young defiantly said: "I am and will be governor until the Lord Almighty says, ' Brigham, you need not be governor any more.' The story of his desperate attempts to retain political supremacy cannot be told here. He was a man of marvelous personal influence and organizing ability. He died in 1877.

The colony increased in numbers and wealth. Mormons reaped a rich harvest from the needy gold-seekers who went overland to California in 1849 and succeeding years— indeed, more or less, until the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869. Systems of irrigation made the arid regions blossom as the rose. Out of the desert sprang a city, the "Zion" of the "LatterDay Saints," to which should be the gather

ing of the faithful from all parts of the world, and where, in the fullness of the times, they were told that the Lord Jesus Christ would come in person to rule over all nations. On either side of the streets of this city run streams of water. Conspicuous for years, and even now, is the huge turtle-back dome of the immense Tabernacle, completed in 1857, seating 8,000 people; and near by the more imposing Temple, of white granite, costing $4,000,000, dedicated April 6, 1893, just forty years after its foundation- stone was laid. On the loftiest of its six towers, 222 feet high, is poised a colossal gilt figure of the angel "Moroni," who, as alleged, appeared to Joseph Smith at Palmyra, N. Y., about 1830, and revealed the existence of the brass tablets from whose hieroglyphics, Smith, by the aid of his "peepstone," translated the Book of Mormon. The dedication of the Temple was designed to mark an era in Mormonism. The Saviour's appearance had been expected. Priests urged the people to give liberally for the completion of the structure at the appointed time, promising a new period of great temporal prosperity. In their blind zeal, numbers mortgaged their farms for this purpose. Instead of prosperity, hard times came-the hardest ever known in Utah. Some will probably lose their farms; others are laboring under great financial embarrassments. All this has tended to open people's eyes to the deceptions that have been practiced upon them, and consequently to weaken their faith in Mormonism. By the tithing system, which, however, is not so generally observed as formerly, the Church got a great revenue. By other methods, most dishonorable and dishonest, it accumulated resources. It actually robbed immigrants of their money. In 1849, "The Perpetual Emigration Fund" was established, to assist immigrants from Europe and elsewhere to get to Utah. This was abolished by the EdmundsTucker law in 1887. The magnitude of its operations may be inferred from this single fact, that in 1862, 293 men, with 262 wagons, 2,880 oxen and 143,315 pounds of flour, were sent by the Saints of Utah to the Missouri River to assist poor immigrants across the plains and mountains.

A Victim's Story.

At Salt Lake City, in the home of Rev. S. G. Adams, I met a Swede who related this

pathetic story. He said: "I was a member of a church in Sweden when a Mormon missionary came to my house. He read and expounded the Scriptures and raised in my mind many doubts about my baptism and other matters. He told of the New Zion in the West and what wonderful things had been done and were to be done there. I became a convert, was baptized, sold my property at a loss and, with $5,000 in gold, came with my family to the United States. From New York we went to Omaha, where we waited some time for wagons from Utah to take us across the plains. While there we were told by our leaders that all who had money must surrender it up to the Church. My wife strongly opposed this. I hesitated. Then we were told that all who were disobedient to this requirement would miserably perish on the plains and never behold the glory of the new Zion. Finally, after buying a cook. stove and a cow, I gave up my money. Many others also did the same. Then they gave me a paper to sign. I could not read English, but supposed it was all right and signed it.

"When we reached Salt Lake there was no provision whatever made for me. I had been told that this would be done. I had no money and had to find work as best I could. Sometimes we were in great need. After about eight years my eyes were opened and I left the Mormons. Then they persecuted me; tried to prevent my getting employment, and in many ways made life miserable for me. I had a very hard time of it.

"When the church property went into the hands of a receiver of the United States, a lawyer offered to recover the $5,000 of which I had been defrauded. He was to get half if he succeeded. The suit was brought. At the trial the Mormon defendants produced the paper I signed at Omaha, which proved to be a note to the Church authorities to pay them $550 for my emigration expenses. Then, too, we could not prove that the Mormon leader who got my $5,000 was an authorized agent of the church. So we lost our case, and I never got anything back from the Church."

The old man's voice trembled and tears filled his eyes as he told this pathetic story. How many hundreds were defrauded in a similar way will never be known on earth. The helpless victims were at the mercy of their spiritual masters. Protest was use