ield. Rev. E. S. Tead, of Boston,
and President T. J. Backus, of Brooklyn, were selected by the
committee for this special service. They were accompanied by the
senior secretary, Rev. A. F. Beard, and through a part of the field
by Sec. G. H. Gutterson, of the New England District. They carefully
inspected several of the schools of the Association, and their visit
was of great value. The testimony they bear to the efficiency of the
work and to the interests of the field is pronounced and emphatic.
In a future issue of this magazine we hope to present articles from
members of this commission which will be of great interest to our
readers. The testimony of an experienced pastor and prominent
educator must have great weight.

Strong testimony to the value of the educational work among the
negroes is found in _Harpers' Weekly_ for February 10th. In an able
editorial on "Negro Education," we find the following: "The storm
and stress period of the South is still upon it. The curse of
slavery has not yet been removed. But it is clear that the schools
are sending the light into the dark places, and that everything that
shuts off or reduces the brilliancy of the light is inimical not
only to the negro, but to the whites themselves, to the South, and
to the whole country." No truer word than this could be spoken. The
education of the negro is not a question of sectional or local
importance alone. It is fundamental to the safety and development of
our country. There are in the Southern public schools 27,445
teachers employed in teaching negroes. Twenty-six per cent. of the
average attendance of school children in the Southern States,
including the District of Columbia, are negroes. The total
enrollment of the blacks constitute, however, only 52 per cent. of
the children of that race of school age. This fact again emphasizes
the necessity of such schools as the American Missionary Association
plants among these black people. The high grade and exceptional
character of these schools are certainly worthy of commendation. The
report of our commissioners based upon facts personally and
independently gathered by each will present the conditions as they
are. The years of heroic and sacrificial service on the part of a
body of missionaries and teachers, unsurpassed in any field, are
bringing their legitimate and noble fruitage.

* * * * *

FIFTY-FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING.

Springfield, Mass., has set the