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efficient? Why not organize, as soon as possible, the only agency on an extensive scale, by which the blessings of the gospel can be universally diffused, and an adequate provision made for their being handed down, if such be the will of God, to succeeding generations?

After remarks on the general object of missions to disseminate truth-it is addedThe Committee will confine their present instructions to the principles to be regarded in the erection and management of the higher seminaries connected with the missions of the Board. For other matters of interest to Such, dear brother, are some of the genyour mission, you are referred to instruc-eral views which have led the Prudential tions given to your predecessors, and to Committee to connect higher seminaries of your future correspondence with the Com-learning with their other efforts to propagate the gospel among the heathen.

mittee.

The Committee will now state, for your information, and that of your brethren at Singapore, and in the other missions of the Board, what are the principles to be regarded in the erection and management of these seminaries. The principles are designed to apply to all the institutions of this class, and not merely to the one at Singapore.

Only a small number of seminaries like the one to be instituted at Singapore, yet exist in missions among heathen nations. The London Missionary Society has one at Malacca. The English Wesleyan Metho- | dists have none. The English Baptists have one at Serampore. The English Church Missionary Society has one among the Syrian Christians of India, and a seminary for 1. The directors of seminaries connected educating native schoolmasters and cate- with the missions of the Board must be memchists in West Africa, another in South bers of the mission. The seminaries are India, and another in Ceylon. The Eng-missionary institutions. They form a comlish Society for propagating the Gospel,ponent part of the system of means employhas one in Calcutta, and the Presbyterianed by the several missions with which they Church of Scotland has also one in the same city.

ed; and there is the same reason why they should be under the exclusive control of the missions with which they are connected, that there is for having our presses and elementary schools under such control. It follows

are connected. Their leading and only design is to promote the objects of those misThe American Board makes higher semi- sions. They are to act in perfect harmony naries of learning a component and indis-with all the other instrumentalities employpensable part of its missions. Such seminaries now exist in connection with its missions in Ceylon, at the Sandwich Islands, at Constantinople, and in Syria. They are also projected in the missions in west Africa, among the Greeks of Asia Minor, the Nes-that the direction of these seminaries should torians of Persia, and the Mahrattas of India. Others will rise in process of time, should the smiles of heaven be continued to its missions, in the south African missions, in Rajpootana, in South India, in Siam, in the more eastern part of the Indian Archipelago, and perhaps among the Indians of our own territory.

be restricted to their respective missions, subject of course to the superior direction of the Prudential Committee. If any exception be admitted, it is in favor of the members of the Board, corporate, corresponding, or honorary, residing in the country where the seminary is situated. The direction should not be shared with missionThe fact which induces the Board to con- aries of other societies. Simplicity in plan nect with its several missions the means of and union in action, is one of our fundathoroughly educating a select number of the mental maxims. With brethren of kindred native inhabitants, is the utter hopelessness societies, we aim to "keep the unity of the of furnishing the heathen world with an ade- spirit in the bond of peace;" but we best do quate supply of preachers from christian this by having our operations distinct from Jands. Nor, after the observations and ex- theirs. And distinct and separate plans and perience of more than twenty years, does it || operations are perfectly consistent with museem desirable to us that Christendom || tual freedom in consultation, mutual fraukshould furnish a full supply. Why should ness, mutual understanding and approbation all the laborers be sent a great distance of each others views and plans, an unemfrom foreign lands, when three-fourths of barrassed reciprocity of thought and feeling, them can be raised on the spot-native la- and whatever else is necessary to insure borers to whom the climate will be natural, christian cordiality and co-operation bethe language vernacular, the manners, habits tween missions laboring in the same field. and customs of the people familiar; and who, to use the expressive language of a convert from heathenism, "having been heathen, know how heathen think?" Why should strangers be sent to do the whole work, when experience has shown that one fourth of the number, with the other three fourths educated and pious native helpers, will be far less expensive, and as much more

2. The seminaries should not ordinarily be commenced on a large and expensive scale. They cannot be expected, like some colleges in our own land, to rise at once into maturity. According to our present experience, first in the order of time will be, the elementary free schools; then the preparatory boarding school, for a select number of the more forward and promising pupils in

ing to perform our work without the assistance of a well educated native agency.

5.

The seminaries should not be merely colleges, nor merely schools of theology, but a combination of the two institutions.-Both theology and human science should be

the free schools; then the seminary for a still more select portion of the scholars in the preparatory school. Arrangements should not be made for a greater number of scholars in more advanced stages of education, than can be obtained; nor should buildings be erected, nor apparatus request-taught in intimate connection, through the ed, faster than they are needed. Nor should entire course of education. The Committee any of the buildings be expensive. A mis- do not mean the theology of natural religion sionary society should not erect costly build-merely, nor chiefly, but also of revealed reings among the heathen for education or for ligion-THE GOSPEL OF JESUS; and the any other purposes. Let neat simplicity BIBLE should be our text-book. The opincharacterize the buildings for our semina-ion that mind must be educated in the prinries every where, that the external appear-ciples of human science before it is fitted for ance and cost of the institutions may be in instructions in theology, is derived from the keeping with their origin and design.

schools of philosophy, and not from the word of God. The plain simple theology and to heathen youth, in every stage of their of the Scriptures can be taught to youth, education. And it is of vital importance that it should be.

We go to heathen na

3. Permanent funds for the seminaries are not to be solicited in this country.-Why should they be? Are there not the same reasons for soliciting permanent funds to support the mission presses, and the missions themselves? It is no more difficult antions on purpose to make known the gospel. nually to raise funds for the one of these For this the command of Christ was given; objects, than for the other. for this we have his presence and aid. And Because per-if the whole course of education can be manent funds are sought for colleges and theological seminaries at home, it does not made thus eminently christian, then surely follow that they should be for missionary of the gospel which a part of our pupils will it ought to be so. For, all the knowledge seminaries. The cases are not analagous. obtain, will be while connected with the Subscriptions cannot be obtained annually, nor ought they to he solicited annually, for Preparatory schools and seminary. When our colleges at home; but annual subscrip- world. Only a portion of those whom we they leave these, they will go forth into the tions are the most proper method of provid-educate, will become our immediate assoing for all the annual expenses of missions to the heathen. Aside from the objections in the community which are felt against permanent funds, a separate effort to raise them for the missionary seminaries would have a distracting and injurious influence on the ordinary collections for the support of missions. Moreover, the influence of such funds, if accumulated to a great extent, would be to awaken jealousies in the community prejudicial to the society which had charge of them; and perhaps also to weaken the central directing power in those societies which is so vital to the harmony and prosperity of every mission, and of the whole system.

ciates and helpers in after life. Our missionary seminaries, then, should be preeminently, from beginning to end, and in all their influence, christian institutions; in which, as far as possible, truth shall occupy the time of the student, according to its relative adaptedness to free his mind from the lize his immortality and his moral accountashackles of heathenism, and make him reability; so that whenever he goes out from us, we shall have done all in our power to fit him for usefulness on earth, and prepare him for heaven.

Finally-The design of the seminaries is to educate natives to be helpers in the mission, and, as soon as possible, to take the 4. The seminaries are not designed for place of the mission.-They are not intended adults, but for youth; and generally for to educate natives for the law, nor for medyouth who have had a previous training by icine, nor for civil office, nor for trade, exthe mission.-There are and there will be cept so far as this will directly promote the exceptions to this rule. But youth are the legitimate object of the mission. The course most promising pupils in all countries, and of education is to be planned with a view to especially in heathen countries. And as the raising up, with the blessing of God, an effiminds of heathen children are occupied and cient body of native helpers in the several filled so early with evil examples at their departments of missionary labor; to be homes, we reach our object most directly teachers of schools, catechists, tutors and and economically by placing in boarding professors in the seminaries, and, above all, schools, at an early age, a number sufficient preachers of the gospel, pastors of the nato insure us pupils for our seminaries. This tive churches, and missionaries to neighborhas been the course pursued in the Ceylon, ing beathen districts and countries. For mission, and with auspicious results. The this purpose the seminaries will be furnished expense of training an efficient native agen- with competent teachers, and with all necescy in this manner will indeed be considera-sary books and apparatus; and a press will ble; but we gain nothing-nay, we lose be generally placed in their immediate time, and money, and labor, by endeavor neighborhood.

The course of study will, ordinarily, embrace, it is presumed, not less than six years, and should secure the three following results:

causes of misconception and perversion, you will have to guard incessantly, or your papils will hold the truth in unrighteous alliance with error, and the gospel which you give them will soon become corrupted in their hands.

An essential and obvious means of preventing this result will be

2.

To teach the pupils to think, so as clearly to discriminate between truth and error. You will find, dear brother, a dreadful stagnation of mind among the heathen. The natural tendency of sin is to blind the reason, weaken its powers, and disincline it to reflection. And after the light of natural religion has thus been put out, and paganism undisturbed sways the sceptre over mind, an awful paralysis falls upon the intellect of the great mass of the people, especially with regard to moral subjects; and scarcely is it possible to rouse it to any

ed hy heathen minds, you will often think of Ezekiel's vision, and your only encouragement to prophesy will be the expected aid of the Almighty Spirit. However, the appropriate means of rousing the dormant powers must be employed. Pictorial representations, illustrating apparatus, philosophical experiments, intellectual arithmetic, geography, logic, composition, discussion, the interrogatory method of teaching, and the study of some language (the English for instance,) should all be employed to rouse the curiosity and the intellect. Above all, the most earnest efforts should be employed, depending on the grace of God, to wake up the conscience to religious subjects, and produce the inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" If sin be the enemy, holiness is the friend of thought, having nothing to fear in truth. The conversion of the heart and mind from sin to holiness will, through the grace of God, prepare the way to discipline the intellect to a discriminating exercise of its powers.

1. Furnishing the minds of the pupils with truth.-This you will find a laborious task; but it must be done. Depravity, error, prejudice, apathy, stupidity, must all be overcome, with assistance from on high, and the heathen minds of the pupils become the repositories of christian truth. In this work, the English language will be our grand store-house, and English books our principal classics. This language, which God, in his infinite mercy, has made our own, is richer in christian knowledge than all other languages combined. We have, indeed, no utopian scheme of making it the language of the world; nor are we prepared even to encourage the attempt, which has been proposed on respectable authority, to substitute the letters of our own alphabet for the al-thing like thought. Indeed, when surroundphabets of India, or for the pictorial signs of China. But in no way can we so effectually open the world of truth to the contemplation of our select pupils, and bring them under its influence, as by teaching them to read the English language. You thus place them almost a century in advance of the great body of their country men. They are brought at once, in respect to facilities for gaining knowledge from books, upon the high ground occupied by the youth of christian lands. But in another respect they will labor under such disadvantages, as are comparatively unknown to the youth of christian countries. In acquiring and using their mother tongue, they will inevitably imbibe, to a great extent, the opinions, prejudices, and intellectual and moral habits of their nation. These, in heathen nations, are wonderfully opposed to truth and duty. And such an influence do they exert upon the mind, that an exorcism must be performed on every one of its faculties before it will be prepared rightly to apprehend and reason upon the truth. So it was in the first ages of the church of Christ. The very existence of Christianity was in peril almost immediately after the death of the apostles, from this very cause. The apostle Paul even declares that he saw the "mystery of iniquity" already working. It is only necessary to examine the writings of such of the christian fathers as were converts from the sects of pagan philosophy, to see a most strange and melancholy picture of corruptions following closely upon the first publication of Christianity;-"when the educated among the Christians were mixing up the pure precepts of the gospel with the false morals and dreamy reveries of Pythagoras and Plato; while the giddy multitude rushed by thousands in mad pursuit of the distorted spectres raised by Marcion and Valentinus, which were burrying them back with fright- Besides these three leading objects, there ful velocity into the deepest and darkest are also three subordinate ones, which the abyss of heathenism." Now against similarCommittee have time now only to mention.

But while you are thus disciplining and furnishing the mind, you should

3. Train it to instruct other minds.The pupils are to be educated for the benefit of others. They are, in some form or other, to be made teachers. They must, of course, be instructed in human nature. They must be taught the condition of other minds. They must learn to sympathise with other minds. They must feel for the ignorance of other minds. They must realize their responsibility freely to impart to others the knowledge they so freely receive; and not merely to their parents and friends, but wherever they have opportunity. And they must be made acquainted with the theory and art of teaching in the several spheres in which they are designed to labor.

1. To explore and lay open the native || will be put into the holy office, and we will literature. This must be done for the pupils, or they will not command the respect of their countrymen; and for the mission, or the members can never become acquainted with the actual state of the native mindcan never know how to remove its errors, nor guard their message from being fatally misapprehended.

To cultivate the native languages.

2. And3.

To prepare books in the native langunges for the press.

The illustration of these topics must be referred to future occasions.

We will suppose the fifteen seminaries contemplated by the Board to be all in ope ration; each having, on an average, sixty pupils. The aggregate of the pupils would be 900. If one sixth of this number graduate annually, the annual number of graduates would be 150; and in twenty years the number of graduates would be 3,000. Supposing only one third of the graduates entered the service of the mission as schoolmasters, catechists, and preachers, our missions, in twenty years, would have had the assistance of one thousand educated native helpers. And should only a tenth of these become preachers of the gospel, we still should have one hundred native preachers.

You will remember, dear brother, that education is but a department of the missionary work, and is subordinate to the preaching of the gospel. If we teach, it is that we may multiply teachers. If we turn aside in any way from the ministry of the word, it is that we may multiply the ministers of the word. Whether we be found in the school, in the seminary, in the printingoffice, in the market-place, or field, or wayside, or the domestic retreat, or the pulpit, we have always one leading object; viz. to plant such instrumentalities in heathen countries, as, with God's blessing shall secure for the gospel a permanent footing and a constant and rapid increase in these countries: not merely one class of instrumentalities, but all that are necessary-an enlightened education, a free press, and especially a learned, evangelical and faithful native ministry. This is the end we have in view. Is it thought impracticable to fill the heathen world with teachers sent from christian lands? That is not our object; that is not what the apostles did, or attempted to do. No. As soon, for instance, as we have reared among them a trust-worthy and competent printer, we will employ him to print our books; or an author we will employ him to prepare our books; or a teacher we will place him as an instructor in the schools, or a tutor or professor in the seminary. As soon, too, as a convert shall be able rightly to divide the word of truth and otherwise fitted for the sacred ministry, he

employ him to preach the gospel to his countrymen; and if he be found faithful be will be ordained a pastor of one of the native churches. Our manifest duty and our aim is, and will be, to put forward the native agency, and to lean upon it as much as can be done with a due regard to sound discretion. And whenever the young christian communities, which have thus been planted and nurtured by our labors, shall be able, through the blessing of God, to exist and flourish without our aid, let them declare their independence, and we will cheerfully acknowledge it.

RECENT INTELLIGENCE.

CHINA. Rev. Edwin Stevens, formerly preacher to the seamen at Canton, and more recently a missionary of the Board in that city, was removed from his labors by death on the 5th of January. He was on a missionary voyage among the islands of the Indian Archipelago, and having touched at Singapore, he was attacked with a fever, which terminated his life at that place.

SANDWICH ISLANDS. Rev. William Richards, from the station at Lahaina, with his wife and six children, with a daughter of Mr. Bishop, arrived at Sag Harbor, in the ship Daniel Webster, May 12th, after a passage of five months and three days. The ill health of Mrs. Richards and the circumstances of their family were the principal causes of their visit to the United States.

INDIANS ON THE NORTHWEST COAST.Rev. Samuel Parker, after having passed over the wide extent of country from Missouri to the Rocky Mountains, and thence proceeded on his researches through various Indian tribes situated near the Oregon river, and between the mountains and the Pacific ocean, took passage to the Sandwich Islands; and after remaining there a few months proceeded to the United States in the ship Pheonix, captain Allyn, and arrived at New London, May 18th, having been five months and two days on the voyage. Two sons of Mr. Chamberlain, of Honolulu, accompanied him.

CHOCTAWS. Of each of the following works in the Choctaw language, prepared by the missionaries of the Board, 3,000 copies have been printed.

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Book of Jonah, Naaman and Gehazi, and

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He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye,

Irreverence in the House of God,

Do as you would be done by.

These have all been printed at the mission press in operation at Union, and together amount to 190 pages duodecimo. Of the Choctaw Almanac for 1837, embracing 24 pages, 450 copies have been printed at the same press; making the whole number of pages printed of the several works to be 586,800. Another larger book is in the press.

OJIBWAS.-On the 15th of April Mr. Hall writes from La Pointe that he visited Pokegumma, the station at which Mr. Ayer labors as a catechist, in February; and that on the first Sabbath of that month he organized a church there and administered the Lord's supper. Three adult Indians were baptised and admitted to the church, and also five children were baptised.

SIOUX.--Dr. Watts's Second Catechism for Children has been translated into the Sioux or Dakota language, by Doct. Williamson of the mission to that tribe, aided by interpreters, and five hundred copies of it, embracing twelve duodecimo pages, have been printed in Boston.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BOARD.

THE Twenty-eighth Annual Meeting of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, will be held in the City of Newark, New Jersey, on the second Wednesday (13th day) of September next, at ten o'clock, A. M.

Donations,

Coxsackie, Fem. miss. so. 2d R.
D. chh. to constitute Rev.
WILLIAM CAHOONE an Hon.
Mem.

Flatbush, F. m. so. R. D. chh.
Flatlands, R. D. chh.
Greenwich, Sab. sch. in R. D.
ehh. 5,15; mon. con. 27,85;
Hackensack, N. J., R. D. chh.
Harlingen, N. J., R. D. chh.
Hillsborough, N. J. Mon. con. R.
D. chh.

Long Island, M. H.

New Lots, N. J. Mon. con. R.
D. chh.
New Shannack, N. J. Mon.
con. do.

New York city, A mother and
children, 9; a friend, 5; sab.
sch. No. 6 of collegiate R. D.
chh. 12,57;
Philadelphia, Pa. Miss. so. of 1st
R. D. chh. for support of Mr.
Nevius and wife,
Poughkeepsie, Coll. in Classis,
for support of Mr. Thomson,
Union Village, Mon. con. R.

D. chh.

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33 00

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80 12

38.75

10 00

14.55

15.00

26 57

700 00

332 01

12.92

11.50

5. 00

10.50

1,608 26

23 81-1,584 45

J. Adger, Charleston, S. C. Tr. For Sandw. Isl. miss. 500; for miss. to Nestorians, 500; for Ceylon miss. 500; ded. am't ackn. in June, 460; Boston and vic. Ms. Aux. So. C. Stoddard, Tr.

1,617 89

1,040 00

1,729 32

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