he endeavoured to regulate the actions of his clerics and punish their misdeeds. It is, indeed, a wearisome and painful task to wade through the mass of revolting and frivolous details of the crimes, follies, peccadillos, and innumerable irregularities of Buddha's mendicants, and the laws he made accusing or else excusing them, but this is what must be done to obtain a comprehensive and true view of his religion and character. Hitherto he has been presented to the European reader and student as he appears in the Sutta Pitaka, in the character of the Discoverer and Preacher of Dhamma and Kamma, Law and Result; but we must also look on his portrait in the Vinaya Piṭaka where we see in him a legislator and ruler of a body of clerics.

If this be done, there can be but one result. If thus put in the balance and weighed he will be found wanting; and although we cannot but admire many of his utterances relating to virtue and kindness to all creatures, yet we are disappointed to find that his greatest doctrines and highest rewards are all negative. He was an agnostic about the origin of life and matter, and the King of Pessimists. He declared that Nirvana, or the cessation of change, thought, and, according to his own views of man's higher nature, even of life itself, was the summum bonum, only attained after infinite exertions and countless lives spent in joy and suffering.

It is desirable that his character and religion should be fully known, so far as the laws of decency and propriety will admit of details being given, from his own Scriptures, and the verdict will certainly then be just. He will be acknowledged as one of the greatest reformers of hoar antiquity, who in several countries and in the various stages of the early development of civilization endeavoured according to the lights they had to improve their fellow men and make them obedient to moral law. But they all failed because they could not remove the sins already committed, nor implant a new Nature in man which could engender in the heart a love of virtue for its own sake, and still more a love of God the Author and Giver of all good. This has been done by Jesus of Nazareth, whose religion has in it all the elements of good, and is sufficient for all the requirements of humanity. He is the bright Sun of Righteousness still rising with Healing in His wings, and appears as such to all who fear and love Him whether as nations or as individuals. His rays are now lighting up Eastern and Southern Asia, and the light of Buddhism is waning and paling as do the stars in the incomparably superior glory of the rising orb of day.

S. COLES.

128

ART. V.-OUR SUPPORT OF FOREIGN MISSIONS IN 1881.

NGLAND'S liberality in supporting Foreign Missions was

Ε E fairly maintained during the year 1881; but no advance

was made.

Delayed Reports of several Societies being at length issued, in September, 1882, the financial results of 1881 are now fully marshalled for review. To make such a review, year after year, would have been one of the most useful and most legitimate of the duties of a general Board of Missions, if such a body had been called into existence. As, however, this lack has been supplied during the past eleven years, by the labours of a private individual, there is now less need than ever for creating such a Board.

Upon minute inspection, we find that though the muster-roll of British Contributions is scarcely so large as it was in 1880, it nevertheless shows a grand total of £1,093,569. This sum is less, by £15,381, than the previous year's total (the largest ever raised for Foreign Missions); but it considerably exceeds those of 1878 and 1879.

The statistics of Britain's Missionary efforts during recent years, when examined en bloc, bear cheering and incontestable witness to the existence of increasing progress. activity, and life. This progress may be all the more satisfactory from the close resemblance of its method to that of a calmly flowing tide. On the margin of an ocean the wavelets recede for a brief interval before and after each forward movement; the tide's onward power and progress are nevertheless sure and certain. We observe that the crest of the wave of contributions reached onward, and still onward, in 1873, in 1877, and in 1880.1 Very decided and well marked was the progress made in those years. Though the wavelets recede slightly during intervening periods the tide is nevertheless flowing still; Laus Deo.

The broad channels into which the tributary streams of British contribution flowed, during the year 1881, may be cited as five in number:

1 Summary of British Contributions to Foreign Missions for eleven years :

£ 855,742

7

882,886

1,032,176

1878 .

£1,093,569.

1875

I. 23 Societies of the Church of England
II. 13 Bible, Tract, Education, and Missionary
Societies, supported jointly by Churchmen
and Nonconformists

£

460,395

153,320

III. 16 Nonconformist Societies (English and)

313,177

Welsh)

IV. 23 Presbyterian Societies, Scottish (16), and

Irish (7).

155,767

Attention may be drawn, en passant, to the last item. The collections of the Roman Propaganda are always quoted in francs; and, in that form, its totals have an imposing sound. Thus, in 1881, France figures in the list as contributing 4 millions of francs. Stated in a similar way, the British contributions to the Roman Propaganda are written in the imposing figures 218,895f. 80c., which mean nothing more than £8,686. The popular adage that "extremes meet," is remarkably illustrated by the coincidence that three very different religious bodies, in the British Isles, gathered each in the year 1881 their maximum income for Foreign Missions. The Reports which proclaim this fact, with becoming jubilation and thanksgiving, are those of the FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, the WELSH CALVINISTIC METHODISTS, and the ROMAN CATHOLIC PROPAGANDA.1

The fruitful interest in Foreign Mission work, which can sometimes be incited among the lower stratum of the middle classes, is well illustrated in the Missionary Report of the WELSH CALVINISTIC METHODISTS. It states that contributions, far above the average of those usually given by wealthy persons, came from members of that Society who are in very ordinary circumstances; not above the position of working men. One residing in Liverpool contributed £30; another, who

1 As the statement is in this case of historical importance, it may be useful to many of our readers to have the exact words of the announcement. "The year 1881 has been a truly blessed one for our Association. Owing chiefly to the additional Jubilee offerings, our receipts have risen to the sum total of 6,906,058f. 19., exceeding by 886,018f. 53c. those of 1880. This is the greatest harvest of alms that we have yet received, and the comparative table will show, that in every part of the globe the Sovereign Pontiff's voice has been obeyed."—Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, May, 1882, p. 111. ̧

VOL. VII-NO. XXXVIII.

K

dwells at Dowlais, gave £24. That Society, following the example of the WESLEYAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY, encourages a band of juvenile collectors by giving to them prizes of books. Collecting cards are issued to Sunday Scholars a few weeks before Christmas. Keen competition then ensues among the children of each school to obtain the largest collection of the year. A small prize is given to each collector; but those who obtain the largest sums receive books of value. These are called "Christmas rewards," a term which might puzzle uninitiated readers of the Wesleyan Society's cash account.

Far more satisfactory is a system now utilized on behalf of the CAMBRIDGE DELHI MISSION, the UNIVERSITY CENTRAL AFRICAN MISSION, the MELANESIAN MISSION and others. Children in our Public Schools, and in Church Sunday Schools, are incited by collections made among them to take an interest in Foreign Mission Work. Thus, Eton has for several years largely assisted the work in Melanesia, and other Schools now do likewise. From the chapels, or houses, of Tunbridge School, the Surrey County School, Highgate School, and the Leeds Clergy School, nearly £50 was received for the CAMBRIDGE DELHI MISSION, during 1881. More than thirty African teachers and scholars are supported, in schools of the CENTRAL AFRICAN MISSION, each by a separate Church Sunday School in England. For this purpose, each School must contribute at least £7 per annum. It is cheering to see that as many as thirty Sunday Schools achieve this, on behalf of one Society alone. The custom now happily obtains amongst the supporters of various Missionary Societies, and must have a beneficial effect upon English school children.

Vast improvement has been effected in the method of setting forth the financial affairs of Missionary Societies, in their Reports, since the present writer commenced his annual analysis and summary of their receipts. In England the SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL has always been pre-eminent for the lucidity and comprehensiveness of its financial statements. In the CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY'S Report for 1881, several changes of method may be noted, and each is an improvement. The addition of an alphabetical index of the names of all parishes from which contributions come, is a decided boon to that SOCIETY'S members.

In the WESLEYAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY'S Report for 1881 there is one novel feature of interest and importance. A summary has been made of all the local expenses of collection, which had been deducted from the British contributions before they reached head-quarters-the Mission House in London. This summary appears upon the General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the year, and is very instructive. It

shows that from a total sum of £108,815, contributed in various districts, expenses amounting to £6,180 were deducted before the money was forwarded to London. That is to say, local expenses of collection consumed 5 per cent. of the general contributions, before they were subjected to any deduction for the cost of the Society's staff at head-quarters.

This Society seems to maintain mission work at its various foreign stations, without curtailment, even when the needful funds are not contributed at home. Consequently, debt and interest thereon become heavy charges. The deficiencies of three years last past burden the Society with a present deficit of £33,308; and the interest paid last year, for borrowed money, amounted to £2,763, or more than 2 per cent. of the total sum collected in Great Britain. Happy is the Society which has good reason to believe that its supporters will ultimately relieve such deficiencies by means of a "Thanksgiving Fund."

It is worthy of notice, that by showing upon its Annual Statement the entire sums collected, together with a summary of the amounts deducted in the local districts, for expenses, the Wesleyan Society enables its supporters to know exactly how much of their contributions will go to real mission work. The majority of Societies bring into account only the amounts actually received at head-quarters; they render no summary account of the local expenses.

Notwithstanding that the Wesleyan Society thus charges itself with all local expenses and with heavy interest on a deficit, its total home expenses are less than 17 per cent. of its receipts. It thus compares well with many other societies which, ignoring altogether the local expenses, nevertheless expend upon home machinery and appliances 16 per cent. of their receipts (like the CHURCH OF ENGLAND ZENANA MISSION); or 18 per cent. (like the GENERAL BAPTIST, the EVANGELICAL CONTINENTAL, and the SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE CHURCH AID SOCIETIES); or 19 per cent. (like the LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE JEWS); or 21 per cent. (like the COLONIAL AND CONTINENTAL CHURCH SOCIETY); or 24 per cent. (like the FOREIGN AID SOCIETY); or 27 per cent. (like the COLONIAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY); or 28 per cent. (like the BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL AMONG THE JEWS); or 31 per cent. (like the SOUTH AMERICAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY); or even 39

1 We need not except from this statement the Reports of the PRIMITIVE METHODIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY and the UNITED METHODIST FREE CHURCHES MISSIONS, which specify all the local expenses in tabular district summaries. They do not bring them into the general account of expenditure. The local expenses tabulated by these Societies as being deducted before the collections reach head-quarters amount to 10 per cent. of the sums contributed.