like to condescend to such low things. Even if they have "no taste for such matters," we are willing, "positively for this time only" and for this purpose only, to let the matter of "taste" go, and allow "the exercise scheme."

Not only will it not hurt a pastor, bodily or mentally, it may possibly help his usefulness, to have some actual and precise knowledge of the persons committed to his charge. We came near saying, a few lines above, that a minister's greatness consisted, on the whole, in his doing his duty where God had appointed him to the Blessed Work. If we may venture to hint it now, then a pastor ought to have a knowledge of all the persons comprising his flock. Possibly their souls may need a little attention. Possibly the pastor is the very man whose duty it is to minister that attention. Possibly, if he does minister to each, he will be able to record their number, and how many are added of them to the visible Church in a given time, and how many, in the judgment of charity, go to the Church triumphant in the same period. Possibly, a gentle jog once a year, may prove helpful to his obtaining such an accurate and complete knowledge of his people; may suggest, as he goes over the list, some poor soul which needs comforting, or some lonely home where his voice will be a blessing, or some wayward heart which may need warning. And if such a jog continues to find ignorance, it is painfully suggestive whether intelligent faithfulness, as a pastor, is compatible with such ignorance. Noble old Cotton Mather used to keep, on a list, the name of every member of his regular congregation, and at set times he used to pass whole days on his knees, commending every one, by name, to God, and asking wisdom how to meet each case with the needed gospel; and who wonders that his labors were abundantly blessed?-the glorious old man, now laughed at by a generation not worthy to wipe the dust from his shoes. Would it have troubled him, had he been asked how many souls

the Lord had committed to his care? And if the mere sight of the names on the Church Book should suggest to any pastor "so many immortal souls under my poor watch," and should lead him to the throne of grace, he ought to thank the persistent Secretary who gives his delinquent soul no rest.

A truth of a more comprehensive nature is, that each pastor, and all concerned in these numberings, are preparing the way for a better administration of our stewardship towards our land. The facts thus acquired are yet to be made of great service to the Cause. As for ourselves, we would not lift a finger to obtain the figures for the mere sake of figures, or of their completeness, or for denominational comparisons. We look to results yet to be accomplished-religious rather than Congregational, and Congregational for the sake of the religious. We bear in mind the fact that our churches, standing side by side with other denominations, are to Christianize this land. Missionary Societies, Church Extension Boards, Building Funds,, churches, are to work together for this sole end. Now to work advantageously, the facts as to our whole country must be known, and so accurately that the character of every neighborhood shall be understood. How many churches, and where they are, and what portion of the population are united in them; the supply of the ministry, and the preaching of the word of God; the waste places, which are yet to be built up; the deserts yet "to rejoice and blossom as the rose;"-these things are to be understood better than they yet have been. The fields must be more judiciously surveyed. The map is yet to be spread out.

We are of the number of those who believe that our Missionary Societies are yet to take a higher position than the churches have hitherto allowed them to take. Instead of waiting till somebody somewhere wakes up enough to beg, and estimating the taxable property of the petitioners, the whole ground is to be aggressively

occupied. Places destitute of the gospel are to have the gospel. Ministers are to go where the gospel is needed. Christians are to send them. Systematically to accomplish this work, a careful and accurate knowledge of the whole ground is indispensable. Not that our own denomination is to work alone and for themselves; in fact, to avoid needless encounters with others, and the consequent waste of efforts, (which is the least of the evil results,) is this very knowledge needed. There exist at the present time no ready means of ascertaining the destitutions of our country, and we may perhaps say, of more than one or two States. The great value of the statistics, when they are rendered sufficiently exact, will consist in affording just such data as are indispensable to this knowledge. The partial explorations, occasionally made, will not suffice.

Take, for example, one of the States best supplied, Massachusetts. Apart from the determination engendered in the Unitarian division, to plant an Orthodox Church by the side of every Unitarian one, a work now well nigh accomplished,— we doubt whether any systematic plan has ever been had to give the gospel to every community. Certainly no data exist by which the destitutions can be accurately known, and not even a list of towns destitute of a Church of our own faith, was known to exist until within two years. The disastrous results of a want of system on more limited fields are evident. In the city of Boston, for example, churches have been located to suit personal convenience or whim, rather than actual wants; money has been thus badly invested; churches have died out; and other changes will yet have to be made,—a part, indeed, rendered necessary by the change of residences into places of business, but another part directly traceable to absence of considerate judgment; and of this, other and shrewder denominations have reaped the fruits. Consider what the extension of such a

system is over the whole country, and we see what waste would be caused by the interference of denominations, by the injudicious expenditure of means, and what numbers of places must be neglected.

The time ought soon to come when there shall be in print, a census, specifying every distinct locality in the United States, with its population, and with the name and size of every evangelical Church in each, its yearly additions and losses, with its Sabbath School interests, together with the ministerial supply. Destitutions would then be visible at a glance. The friends of truth would come less and less to interfere with each other. The land would more easily be possessed. Vague ideas would give place to exact knowledge, and the work to be done would be comprehended.

But until our own statistics are respectable, we have no concern with those of others. At the present time they are sadly defective. To help to attain a better state of things, and with a hope to secure an approach to uniformity, we make these suggestions as to the features of the statistics wanted,-encouraged by the fact that the movement undertaken by the American Congregational Union, and assisted by the example of what had been accomplished in one State, has already greatly improved our denominational reports.

1. Our statistics should be denominational; by which we mean that they should specify the items and take the form naturally suggested by the genius of Congregationalism. Thus with the Baptists, "baptisms" are equivalent to “ profession;" with us, it is not so. With Unitarians, the number of Church members is not ascertainable; with us, the requirement of a "change of heart," and the prerequisite to communion, make the number of professed believers accurately defined. With the Methodists, the absence of power in the societies makes their statistics content themselves with the mere number of communicants, but they

are very specific as to ministerial matters; with us, all that concerns the Church itself should be exhibited. Naturally, therefore, the name of a Church, its exact locality, the precise date of its organization, are first essential. Then the name of its minister, his exact date of original ordination, and the time of his present settlement. Then the exact number, at a given date, of the male and female members, with their total, and the number of absentees appearing on the list, which is essential to a knowledge of the Church's efficiency. Then the result of the preceding year's labor, viz: the additions, divided into those "by profession" and those "by letter;" the losses, specifying how many by death, by dismissal to other churches, and by excommunication; the baptisms, specifying "adults" and "infants." Then, the total number in the Sabbath School, summing together teachers and scholars. Whether the amount of donations can be, practically, obtained is doubtful; but all the preceding items are indispensable.

Now when we turn to the various publications of our General Associations, we find that the statistics of New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, include all these items in full. Maine lacks only the date of ministerial ordination; Rhode Island omits the month and day of dates; Connecticut omits the "Sabbath School;" New York omits the month and day of dates, and the date of ordinations, nor does it indicate whether the minister is actually pastor or only a "stated supply;" New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Nebraska, and Oregon do not publish at all, nor does Ohio this year; Illinois omits" month and day" and the time of ordination, and but partially distinguishes between pastors and stated supplies; of Michigan we are promised something better next year, and hence spare its present issue; Wisconsin omits all dates whatever, and columns of "males" and "females;" Iowa omits all dates, save the year of commencing labor in the field in question,

omits "males," " females," "absent," and "totals" of gains and losses; Kansas reports only names and numbers, and time of commencing labor; California jumbles together various matters in almost undistinguishable confusion; from all of which we see room for considerable improvement. In some States improvement is already resolved upon, and we commend to all our General, Associations the VERMONT tables as appearing altogether the best of the whole list,-with one single improvement from the Massachusetts statistics, viz: to specify (1) the name of the town, (2) the locality in the town, and (3) the name of the Church; and also to insist on the first name of every clergyman.

2. To be of use, our statistics should be complete, "perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

The statistics of each State should report every Congregational Church in that State, and should distinctly specify the towns in which none exist. Massachusetts minutes, issued twenty years ago, are next to valueless, from the fact that many individual churches, and those in the bounds of one whole Association, were omitted, without the slightest mention of their existence; again and again have churches, which failed to report, had their names stricken out, as if that remedied the matter; the present Statistical Secretary has restored the names of twelve churches thus dropped. Our State bodies are not divinely organized, and they have no right to apparently disfellowship a Church because it is not in their connexion. Now of no States but Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, do we feel the slightest certainty that all the churches are enumerated, while in many others, on account of peculiar difficulties, there is no pretence to such completeness. At least 225 churches are thus passed by. Every Church should be enumerated, whether reported or not.

But every Church should be reported. In no other way can reliable facts be as

certained; and never should an old report be repeated. We have in mind an instance where a newly settled pastor humorously answered our query as to the "males” and “females" constituting the 276 members of his Church, by saying that he could not tell, but he was certain as to the 276 members, as that report had been annually made for ten years. How many old reports are copied we cannot estimate, but we know of no States which resist the temptation except Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island; although perhaps other States do. The number omitting to report at all is generally easily ascertained; in Maine, old reports fill the gap; in New Hampshire, none are delinquent; in Vermont, 49, with 22 copied; in Massachusetts, none; in Rhode Island, one; in Connecticut, 23; in New York, 5; in Illinois, 15 (if we count the obscure tables rightly); in Michigan, none, (by a summary process of copying); in Wisconsin, 13, (of which some are supplied from previous years); of the other States nothing can be said. In all, the number is large who have a name to live" in our lists, but present no other evidence of life.

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Each Church should report every item also. This may seem a small matter, but it needs no peculiar skill in mathematics to see that if a hundred churches omit one item each, and another hundred a second, and so on through the list, it is the same as though a hundred churches had actually failed to report. At least 243 of our enumerated churches last year entirely neglected to report additions and losses; and the proportion which omitted one or more items is enormous. The result of attempts to fill up these defects is sometimes comical; we have before us a Church which has, in the same line, "members last year," 15, no additions, no losses, "members this year," 8; another which fell from 39 to 30 in the same mysterious way; another, which, by receiving 2 members, rose from 72 to 95, and yet distinctly declares that it has neither

males nor females in the Church; and these are specimens of scores. The difficulty in these cases is that somebody has manufactured a statement to fill up the blank. In Maine, it is impossible to tell the number of churches furnishing imperfect returns; in New Hampshire it was, last year, 17; in Vermont, 46; in Massachusetts, 16 out of 482; in Rhode Island, 1 out of 20 reporting; in Connecticut, it is impossible to tell, inasmuch as the absence of ciphers is like charity in 1 Peter, iv: 8; in New York, where peculiar obstacles exist, 90; in Illinois, the Connecticut mantle is fashionable, with similar results; in Michigan, two items only are reported by any Church; in Wisconsin, 10; in Iowa, the Connecticut custom fails even to hide the evident delinquencies.

In addition to Church items, there should be a complete list of all Orthodox Congregational clergymen in each State. At present none such exist, though in Massachusetts one was last year attempted. Ministers are now counted twice in very many instances; and others are omitted, in large numbers. It seems to be forgotten that membership in Associations is not the test of fellowship.

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3. The arrangement of our statistics should be simple and clear. Associations, and churches in Associations, should be arranged alphabetically; Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Illinois, and Iowa, have now adopted this plan. There should be full explanations" prefixed or attached to the tables, which is now done only in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. An index of ministers, (with P. O. address,) one of towns, and one of the proceedings of the General Association, are indispensable; Maine and Wisconsin give the first and third; New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island (substantially), New York, Illinois (partially), Michigan (partially), Iowa (partially), give the first; Massachusetts alone, gives all three; and Connecticut and California neither. The style of printing the an

nual proceedings in several of the States makes a confused medley of the whole matter, almost defying investigation. Each item of business should be separated from every other, and should have its appropriate heading, which the eye can readily catch. There should also be inserted, the names of officers, times of meeting, and every other item desirable to be known, conspicuously printed and arranged, so as to inform any person, however unacquainted with our affairs.

It will be seen that the statistics of no State are now, in all respects, satisfactory. At the same time, great improvements have been made within the past few years; and improvements, we have reason to know, are resolved upon in the next issues. This being the case, it may seem invidious to chronicle existing defects; but such a chronicle seems necessary to help on the movement, and especially to produce that uniformity of plan which is so desirable in itself, and which will be necessary if the various reports are ever to be printed in one volume. That project has been suggested, and may yet be realized; but no one, aware of the present defects, could ask any man so far to abandon self-respect as to attach his name to such a medley as the present issues would furnish. Even the few items which the present energetic Secretary of the American Congrega

tional Union attempts, by laborious efforts, to complete for the Year Book, show the difficulty of compiling anything satisfactory out of the heterogeneous mass submitted to him; the cooling of masses of such varying specific gravities, throws everything into cracked and disjointed confusion. If this is the case with so few items, a compiler of full tables would, before affixing his name, feel like Falstaff, as he looked on his "hundred and fifty tattered profligates ;"" if I be not ashamed of my soldiers, I am a soused gurnet," said he to Bardolph; "eye hath not seen such scarecrows; I'll not march through Coventry with them, that's flat."

.....

To remedy these defects, there must be a Statistical Secretary in each State,—a man persistent, industrious, obstinate, energetic, good-natured, imperturbable,— who shall have exclusive charge of securing and publishing the statistics; a Statistical Scribe, of like character, in each local Association; and a feeling on the part of churches and pastors that an accurate knowledge of our field of labor is imperiously demanded. When these things are rightly established, an inquirer for some wanted fact in our statistics would no longer be able to repeat the endorsement of a sheriff, who had failed to secure the person he was ordered to arrest, "non comeatibus in swampo."

1 We go back no farther than this, although our record of the family in England embraces several generations. The following incident, relating to

19, 1606, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Saunders, of Lydiard St. Lawrence; she

John Walcot of Walcot, who lived in the early part of the 15th century, and explaining the introduction of rooks into the Coat of Arms, may have a little general interest just now, when the mania for chess-playing is so prevalent. It is recorded of him, in the old family pedigree, that "playing at the chesse with Henry the fifth, kinge of Englande, he gave him the check matte with the rouke, where