FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OP THE FR IEN D S’ ' cjftfrap Jteim t gm ptim t, 1 8 8 1 . “GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE.” PRINTED AND PUBLISHED AT THE ORPHANS’ PRINTING PRESS, 12, BROAD STREET, LEOMINSTER. » BHO PAL 3 h i u i n i N ative St<xte f Mohvume cUxn> ) ¡y HOSHAN * * S e t ' * ’ Toy. 8 Oí TA HSI L OF tJhjX'SUsljû SO H A G PU R corvtouitvs 4-16 VCLLooqes 0 115, 6 5 7 S ou le S obiixju p tu r SOHAGPUR I { a s o L b p u r Pop. 6008 T A H S I L O F 55.34-7 Souls HURDA. contocUvs 4-09 Villages EONEE 120, 54-6 Souls. S HURDA I Pop. 7.4-99. -T) e « 1* DISTRICT OF S c c l L& HOSHANGABAD 1 0 M i t e s CENTRAL PROVINCES. TVest JS7ew w «n t C ? h rh L oLtutuxíe, of" ïïoshsOutxjcxZycLjoL 2,0 ° 4 0 ' N o rth ,, L orxxjfituccjLe, 77 ° 51 E OL&b . FRIENDS’ FOREIGN MISSION ASSOCIATION, 1881. Treasurer: JAMES H A C K TUKE, H itch in . Secretary: HENRY STANLEY NEWMAN, Leom inster. Assistant Secretary, pro. tem. :— J. NORMAN SHEPPARD, H itch in . Executive Committee: RICHARD ALLEN JOHN T. GRACE G. S ATTERTHWA ITE STAFFORD ALLEN THEODORE HARRIS FREDERIC SEEBOHM W ILLIAM C. ALLEN THOMAS HARYEY J. S. SEWELL J. GURNEY BARCLAY HENRY HIPSLEY ISAAC SHARP WILLIAM BECK JONATHAN B. HODGKIN SAMUEL SOUTHALL J. B. BRAITHWAITE JOSEPH HUNTLEY J. FYFE STEWART C. L. BRAITHWAITE CALEB R. KEMP GEORGE STURGE WILLIAM BREWIN RICHARD L1TTLEBOY JOHN TAYLOR ISAAC BROWN JOSIAH NEWMAN JOHN B. TYLOR ALBERT J. CROSFIELD HENRY NEWMAN JAMES THOMPSON THOS. W. FISHER GEORGE PALMER, M.P. MARRIAGE WALLIS ALFRED L. FOX THOS. B. PEACOCK, M.D. CALEB S. WILSON JOSEPH S. FRY ARTHUR PEASE, M.P. JOHN E. WILSON THEODORE FRY, M.P. ALFRED RANSOM WILLIAM WHITE GEORGE S. GIBSON WILLIAM RANSOM JOHN WHITING GEORGE GILLETT WALTER ROBSON Madagascar Sub-Committee: ALFRED RANSOM FREDERICK SEEBOHM JAMES HACK TUKE WILLIAM RANSOM J. S. SEWELL Indian Sub-Committee: STAFFORD ALLEN WILLIAM BREWIN HENRY S. NEWMAN WILLIAM BECK ALBERT J. CROSFIELD JOHN B. TYLOR HENRY HIPSLEY RULES o r THE FRIENDS' FOREIGN MISSION ASSOCIATION. 1.— That the name “ Friends’ Foreign Mission Association” be adopted. 2.— That its object is to aid the spread of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and Mission work abroad, chiefly by assisting such members of the Society of Friends, or those in profession with them, as are believed to be called of the Lord to this service. 3.— That all Annual Subscribers be members, and that a General Meeting be held annually at such time and place as London Yearly Meeting may appoint. 4.— That the business be transacted by an Executive Committee, to be appointed annually by the General Meeting, with power to choose a Treasurer and Secretaries. 5.— That Friends who feel it their duty to engage in Foreign Gospel service, or to reside abroad for educational purposes, may communicate with the Secretary, who shall bring the matter before the Committee. 6.— That the Executive Committee meet at such times and places as it may appoint, and the Secretary or any Sub- Committee shall have power to call a meeting thereof by circular to its members. FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT. MADAGASCAR. R e p o r t o f t h e S u b-C o m m it t e e . As in former years we have again thankfully to record the kind care of our Heavenly Father ex­ tended to the missionaries of our Association in Imerina since the last Annual Meeting. Nothing has been permitted materially to interrupt the steady progress of their work. The country has been unusually free from political excitement; no fearful epidemic has prevailed as in 1878 and 1879 ; and though the health of some of the missionaries has occasionally been far from what we should desire, the general work of the Mission has not been seriously hindered on this account. H. E. Clark’s yearly report shows that the ener­ getic course he has pursued in superintending the country Schools has been attended with fair success. He has under his care more than half of the coun­ try work, and during the past year this has involved his being away from home 88 nights, and 46 days of riding in his palanquin. This affords a striking illustration of the uneconomical expenditure of time and exertion necessarily involved in working the parts of our district at a distance from the capital. But our missionaries regard this apparent loss of time as far more than counterbalanced by the im­ portance of this country work. And yet the 6 progress there is slow, hardly appreciable sometimes from one year to another, though on looking back for ten years, or even half that time the improve­ ment is very striking. The 118 village congrega­ tions and 90 schools under our care, with their native evangelists and teachers, however much we may deplore their imperfections, and the low standard, intellectual, moral, and spiritual, that prevails amongst them, are steadily working for the good of the 150,000 or more people who live in our district. The leaven of the Gospel is gradually permeating this population scattered over about 2,000 square miles, a better public opinion on moral and social questions is being formed and increases in power, and here and there signs of true spiritual life are manifested. As our missionaries all live in the capital, and are thus brought more continually into contact with the church and scholars who come under their influence, there the results are more apparent. Both our large schools continue to flourish, and the great regularity in the attendance of the pupils is very gratifying from every point of view. It is now more than eleven years since the erection of the present buildings— the Boys’ School at Ambohijatovo, the Girls’ at Faravohitra, about ten minutes’ walk apart. The last letters from Madagascar inform us that the alterations in the Boys’ premises are now all but completed, and promise well for future comfort and efficiency. W m . Johnson has taken some pains to ascertain the present condition of the boys and young men who have received their education in this school. He says :— “ The total number of scholars admitted since the beginning of the School has been over thirteen hundred, of whom probably as 7 many as twenty per cent, did not stay more than a few months. Of those who remained long enough to receive permanent benefit, it would be interesting to know in what way their talents are now being used; but to get very definite information on the subject is very difficult. Of those who have left us we have only been able to follow about one in four. The greater part have returned home and taken their place as ordinary members of the com­ munity, who obtain their living by trade, or have sufficient pro­ perty for their maintenance- They perform their allotted share of government service, either in a military or civil capacity, and we see little more of them, except that in our own district we often find them occupying places of usefulness in the church, where, doubtless, they might be found in other districts, for we gather from all parts of the country. Of those of whom we have more certain information, twelve left us to enter the London Missionary Society’s School for training teachers ; and thirty-two became students in their college for training ministers. Most of these are now teaching or doing evangelistic work. Sixteen youths became printers at one or other of the Mission Presses, or at that of the Government; thirteen studied medicine under one or other of the doctors ; nineteen became clerks in various Government offices ; but by far the larger number left to become teachers. Of these we have knowledge of eighty-seven. The majority of them are in our own district, many also in those of the London Missionary Society, and a very few in the Norwegian Missionary Society, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. They do not con­ fine their efforts to school teaching, but many of them do the work of evangelists in their own villages and neighbourhood. They vary greatly in religious understanding, but what they know they speak, and testify that they have heard, and we hear of them in far distant and unexpected places, diffusing the light and knowledge of the Gospel where all else is dark and heathen.” Of the Girls’ School we hear of similar results:— “ Many of our old scholars reside in town, where we often see and hear of them. Several are here teaching in our schools, or in those connected with the different congregations. Others are teaching, in the country, of whom we often hear good reports. One of our earliest scholars is doing a good work among her fellow country women on the borders of the Sakalava territory, where, by diligent visiting from house to house, she keeps up a good attendance at her classes and at chapel. There are several of our old scholars at work in our district, some of whom we supply with materials for teaching sewing to the members of Bible classes which they have already formed. But of the greater number we have quite lost sight, especially in cases where their stay with us was only for a short time.” Important changes in the management of both these schools will take place this summer.