United Foreign Miss. Society. (Communicated for the Christian Herald.) 223 The Board of Directors of the Young Men's Missionary Society of New York, to the Board of Managers of the United Foreign Missionary Society, wish Grace, and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. BRETHREN, We have heard with gratitude to God, that to the already widely extended exertions of the Christian world, to diffuse the light of the glorious Gospel of the Grace of God, he has added another Institution, devoted to the same object. We bless the great Head of the Church, that he has been pleased to shed abroad upon the highest judicatories of three of its most extensive branches in this country, so much of the spirit of Christian love and concord, as to induce them to unite, in erecting and patronizing a Missionary Society, which we ardently hope may have a tendency to increase the manifestations of brotherly love among Christians of different denominations, prove an extensive blessing to those who are sitting in the valley and shadow of death, and become a glory to our land. Brethren-You have much to encourage you, amidst the many difficulties of your arduous undertaking. You have the gracious promise, Lo! I am with you always,' from him, in obedience to whose command, you are endeavouring to do your part, in teach- · ing all nations. From the wonderful blessings with which our great Master has been pleased, of late, to crown Missionary efforts among the Heathen, you have reason to confide in the promise, that in duc season, you also shall reap, if you faint not. May He pour out a spirit of compassion towards the benighted Heathen, upon the members of those Churches, under whose promises of support you have ventured to lift up your standard; and may he abundantly endow you with their prayers and their contributions.~ May He send you many faithful and well instructed Missionary servants, in whom the love of God, and of perishing sinners shall abound. May they go forth under your auspices, to sow the precious seed in barren lands; and the dews of heavenly grace make it fruitful wherever it shall fall: so that they, and you, and we, and all who love the Lord Jesus, may rejoice together, in seeing the wilderness and the solitary places become as the garden of the Lord. Brethren-Engaged in a kindred cause, the sending the light of the Gospel to those on our frontiers, who have none to break to them the bread of life, and who, though bearing the Christian name, are fast relapsing into a state of heathenism, we greet you, beloved in the Lord, as fellow-labourers, in a different part of the same great vineyard. We shall rejoice to hear of your pros perity. We solicit your prayers and your friendly correspondence; and we pray God, to give you peace, brotherly love, and concord, in all your deliberations, wisdom in all your counsels, 22 Female Sunday Schools.-Poetry. and an abundant harvest of souls for your encouragement and your great reward. As a small, but sincere pledge of our earnest wishes for your prosperity, we enclose a draft on our Treasurer for one hundred dollars. In behalf of the Board of Directors of the Young Men's New-York, 11th November, 1817. JOHN D. KEESE, President. FEMALE SUNDAY SCHOOLS. "The Female Union Society for the Promotion of SabbathSchools," (in the City of New-York,) being anxious to give, in their next Annual Report, a summary account of the rise and progress of Female Sunday-Schools in this country, respectfully request the Directresses of Union Societies, and Superintendents of single schools in the United States, to transmit, (post paid,) to Miss Oram, No. 15 Broadway, previous to the first of March, 1818, such information as may furnish materials for an interesting elucidation of their respective histories. The Reports of the Society will be forwarded to those who may favour the Board with communications on the above subject. December 27, 1817. Poetry for Youth. ABOUT GOD, WHO MADE THE SUN AND MOON. Child. 1. I SAW the glorious sun arise 3. 'Twas God, my child, who made By his almighty skill: 4. How very great that God must be Who rolls them through the air! Too high, Mamma, to notice me, Or listen to my pray'r! O tell me, will he condescend Mamma. 5. He will, my love; for though he made For, humble as a child may be, 6. Behold the daisy where you tread, 7. Yet God takes notice of them all. And will not Jesus deign to make And loves the infant's pray'r.- THE CHRISTIAN HERALD. VOL. IV.} Saturday, January 3, 1818. [No. 15. FOREIGN MISSION SCHOOL. Extracts from the Report of the Agents of the Foreign Mission [The Report from which the following extracts are made, was prepared by the Visiting Committee of the school, soon after the semi-annual visitation, which was on the first Wednesday of Sept. The agents met early in Oct. 1816; and soon after fixed upon a place for the establishment of the school;-and subsequently proceeded to appoint a principal, as is stated in the Report of the Prudential Committee. As the instruction of the youths in practical agriculture is an important object of the establishment, the agent appointed Dea. HENRY HART, of Goshen, to superintend this pranch of business. It is very natural for the public, and especially for the patrons of the institution, to expect a particular account of the character of the youths, who are patronized. So far as respects the young men themselves, it would perhaps be as well if nothing were published concerning them; but, it is to be hoped, that their instructors will guard them against being elated with the favourable opinion which may be formed of them, by fallible men, and will press upon them the duty of humbling themselves before God, examining their hearts as in his presence, and possessing such a character as he will approve. After stating at large the facts which have been briefly adverted to, the Report proceeds as follows.] "The contracting committee, having received authority from the Prudential Committee of the Board, proceeded to purchase in Cornwall two dwelling houses: one for a boarding house, two stories high, newly finished throughout, and painted red; for which, and five and a half acres of good arable land adjoining, and eighty acres of timber land one mile distant, they gave two thousand dollars. The other house is for the Principal, and is two stories high, has two stacks of chimnies, was covered and painted white on the outside, for which and three quarters of an acre of land adjoining, they gave six hundred dollars. The house has since been finished inside, which cost six hundred and twenty-five dollars more. "The people of Cornwall gave, in consideration of the school being established there, a convenient academy, 40 feet by 20, with three apartments, which is near the above mentioned houses. They also gave thirteen acres of woodland, a part within balf a mile, and the remainder within a mile of the academy. And they also subscribed in money and articles of clothing a considerable sum. The whole amount of donations from Cornwall is judged to P 226 Foreign Mission School in Connecticut, be somewhere from eleven to thirteen hundred dollars. Deeds of the above mentioned property have been taken by the contracting committee in behalf of the Board, and having been duly acknowledged and recorded, are now in possession of said committee.* About the 1st of May last, the buildings having been prepared,, the school commenced its operations at Cornwall under the care of Mr. Dwight. "Soon after the commencement of the school in Cornwall, the committee received an application from two young men of our own nation to be admitted into the school, for the purpose of being educated for missionary labours among the heathen. Their desire is to give themselves up to the Board to be educated and disposed of, as to their field and station of future labours, just as the Board shall see fit to direct. The name of one is Samuel Ruggles, of Brookfield, Con. The name of the other, James Ely, a native of Lyme, Con. They are both of age to act for themselves. Ruggles has been a member of Morris Academy at South Farms, under the instruction of the Rev. William R. Weeks, and is highly spoken of by his instructor. He has gained a good knowledge of Latin, and been through several books of the Greek Testament.-Ely has been a member of Bacon Academy, Colchester, Con. He is well recommended, and has been through the most of Virgil. They are members in good standing of the churches in their native towns. They are both destitute of property. "The committee hesitated, at first, about their admission; but viewing the hand of Providence in this application, and recollecting the principles of the Missionary Seminary at Gosport, Eng. they deemed it their duty to give the young men a trial, until the pleasure of the Board could be known. The committee wished, also, to acquaint themselves more fully with the particular character and promise of these young men. They have consequently been in the school most of the summer; and the committee can now freely express their decided approbation of these young men, and cheerfully recommend them to the patronage of the Board. They appear to be pious and discreet, and to possess respectable talents. They possess, in a high degree, a missionary spirit, and have, we think, some peculiar qualifications to be useful as missionaries. Their desire for the missionary life appears to be not a transient emotion of youth, but a deliberate choice, and a settled principle. And we believe, from all that we can observe, that full confidence may be placed in their firmness and perseverance. They have had their attention and desires, from the first, turned to the Sandwich islands, though they are willing to abide the direction of their patrons. It is not their expectation that they shall be sent to college, nor do they aspire to the rank of teachers or leaders. They expect to obtain such knowledge of the sciences and of theology, as they can in the seminary, and then be school * The Legislature of Connecticut passed an act last May, empowering the Board to hold real estate to a certain extent. for the Education of Heathen Youth. 227 masters, catechists or teachers, as the Board shall direct. Ely is a cooper by trade, which we think an additional recommendation.* "These young men have been extremely useful in the school. Their example and influence among the other youths has been very salutary. Having gained the entire confidence of the foreign boys, they keep them from desiring other company, and maintain a kind of influence, which greatly assists the instructor, and promotes the harmony of the school. They are also fast catching the language of the youths, with whom they associate, and will soon be able to converse in the language of Owhyhee. On the whole, the committee cannot but express the hope that they shall be permitted to retain these young men as members of the school. "Besides these two young men, the school now consists of ten members. Five of these are the youths from the Sandwich islands; viz. Obookiah, Hopoo, Tamoree, Tennooe, and Honoree. Concerning these an account is already before the public. The committee have it to say, that their conduct, since they have been in the school, is satisfactory. Obookiah has for several years been a professor of the religion of Jesus; and we are happy to say, that his conduct and conversation have been such as become the Gospel. He appears to grow in grace, and more and more to evince the reality of his new birth. He has been studying Latin chiefly the last summer, and has made as good proficiency as youths of our own country ordinarily do. Hopoo, having for about two years entertained a hope in Christ, has been the past summer admitted to the first church in Cornwall, and received the ordinance of baptism. He shines uncommonly bright as a Christian; has the zeal of an apostle, and ardently longs for the time, when it shall be thought his duty to return to his countrymen with the message of Jesus. His friends, who know his feelings, have no doubt that Hopoo would burn at the stake for the honour of Christ. Tennooe and Honoree have given satisfactory evidence of having passed from death unto life; and should their example continue to correspoud with this judgment, they will probably soon be admitted to confess Christ before men. Tennooe and Hopoo are about in the same advance of study; they have been attending to English grammar and arithmetic the past summer. Honoree has been employed in reading and spelling, together with exercises of the pen. [An account is next given of Tamoree, who soon after he joined the school, was less submissive to authority and less patient of restraint, than was desirable. The committee say, however, that he has conducted himself the past summer much to their satis. faction," and that he has been obedient and respectful." The account concerning him concludes thus:] "He has uncommon talents and activity, and by the grace of *The reader will bear it in mind, that the introduction of the mechanical arts among savages holds a prominent placé in every wise plan for their civilization. |