soon withdrawn and
the enterprise disowned. This has swallowed up thousands of dollars of
the money of benevolence, and yet it has all the time been a sham and
a falsehood. There was nothing of it. When a lady newspaper
correspondent called to visit the institution, ten or a dozen children
from a neighboring private school were borrowed and paraded as
orphans, when at the time there were only two little children in the
concern, and they had grandparents living near and abundantly able to
take care of them. "Wherefore this waste?"

In yet another Southern city, a couple of young ladies start a school.
Having once been under commission of the A.M.A., in connection with
its institutions, they appear to many to have its endorsement and they
make appeal to its constituents. Money comes along for a work
irresponsibly begun and without supervision. Only a year goes by
before they appeal by their leaflet-paper for several thousand dollars
to buy land and build a home and school property. Who but they shall
hold and own the property? Whose shall it be when they marry or grow
weary of the work and leave? What protection is there for such
misplaced benefaction?

By no means would the Association seek to interfere with donations to
individuals where the donors investigate for themselves and assume the
responsibility, but it is not fair that we should be held as
apparently responsible for movements that we disown, and it is not
fair to our constituents that we should allow them to remain under the
impression that in giving to irresponsible projects, they are favoring
such as are endorsed by us.

Thirty-five years ago the Congregational Union was initiated in the
Albany Convention on purpose to protect Eastern friends from the
miscellaneous and irresponsible and persistent solicitation for
individual church enterprise. It is the business of that Society to
receive, inspect and decide upon all such applications. Take it away
and the flood gates would be lifted again. No less in the cause of
missionary education is such discretionary service needed.

* * * * *

THE NEGRO QUESTION.

This is the title of a recent brochure by George W. Cable, published
by the American Missionary Association. With the most vigorous and
courageous devotion to the question that "is the gravest in American
affairs," Mr. Cable addresses himself to the problem and to the answer
that should be made to it. His apprehension of inj