WEDNESDAY EVENING.

The Association was called to order by Secretary Strieby, who invited
E.W. Blatchford, Esq., of Illinois, to preside during the evening in the
absence of President Taylor. Professor G.B. Willcox led the Association
in prayer.

On being introduced by Secretary Strieby as representing the American
Board, Mr. Blatchford said:

"I have no authority from the American Board to convey to you any
special message; and yet I know that they will be glad to have me
express to you their sentiments of sympathy with you in your work. The
work is one. In carrying forward the work of the American Board and the
American Missionary Association we are obeying the same command of our
Lord: Go ye into all the world and disciple all. We are inspired by the
same prophetic promises, that the time will come when this world shall
obey the command of God as it is obeyed in heaven. In fact, this
gathering is in itself a type of the unity of this work; for as I look
around me I see brethren and sisters representing the different
societies in which we are all interested. I see them here from the New
West Commission; I see the workers and representatives of our Home
Missionary Society; I see, of course, many representatives of the
American Missionary Association, and those deeply interested in the work
of our American Board. So that we have here in this very meeting an
illustration of these words of the Apostle: 'One Lord, one faith, one
baptism.'"

Mrs. J.J.M. Angear, in charge of a Chinese Sunday-school in the First