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THE NATIONAL COUNCIL.

The gathering of this representative body of the Congregational churches of this country was the largest ever held.  It grappled more fully than any of its predecessors had done with great questions touching the missionary and benevolent societies in their relations to the churches and to each other, and the consolidation of the missionary magazines.  The most exciting topic discussed was that of the Georgia Congregational Churches, white and colored.  The result reached on this point was that the representatives of two District Conferences were enrolled, and that the representative of the United Congregational Conference of Georgia was given a seat as an honorary member.

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THE COLORED DELEGATES.

The Southern Associations were represented by six colored delegates in the National Council.  Their bearing and ability won the respect and admiration of the whole Council.  They were modest and manly in their deportment, prudent in their counsels and very eloquent in their speech.  They showed themselves to be the peers of their white brethren, and demonstrated beyond a question the capacity of the colored man for the highest intellectual and moral training.  They were a credit to the American Missionary Association, whose pupils they have been, and were a living and triumphant vindication of its work at the South.

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THE MOHONK CONFERENCE.

The seventh annual gathering of this Conference, Oct. 2-5, was the largest ever assembled.  Among those present for the first time were Ex-President Hayes, Gen. O.O.  Howard, Gen. John Eaton, Prof.  Wayland and Dr. Wayland.  The newspaper press, religious and secular, was very fully represented; Abbott, Buckley, Dunning, Gilbert, Ward and Wayland are perhaps best known.  The venerable Judge Strong well represented the law, while the absence of Senator Dawes was sincerely regretted.

A marked feature of the Conference was the presence of Gen. Morgan, Commissioner of Indian Affairs.  For weeks prior to the meeting of the Conference, rumors had gone abroad that he intended to abolish the “contract schools”—­that is, schools of the missionary societies which the Government by a “contract” agrees to assist.  Articles had appeared in the newspapers remonstrating against this course, and it was believed that this topic would be one of most practical interest in the Conference.  The Commissioner early in the meetings read a paper outlining his plan for the establishment of Government schools for all Indian children—­the attendance to be compulsory.  The omission of all mention of the “contract schools” in this paper confirmed the impression to which rumor had given currency.  An animated discussion followed the reading of his paper, in which the Commissioner freely participated.  It appeared that he had been misunderstood—­at least in so far as any immediate curtailment of the “contract schools” is concerned, and he impressed the Conference warmly in his favor as a Christian man with broad views, impartial and progressive.  He will meet, we feel sure, with the cordial support of all the societies engaged in Indian educational work.