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MANUAL 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA 
 
 FOR THE USE OF CANDIDATES AND MISSIONARIES UNDER 
 APPOINTMENT AND IN THEIR FIELDS OF LABOR 
 
 PREPARED AND PUBLISHED BY THE BOARD 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 REFORMED CHURCH BUILDING 
 25 East Twenty-second Street 
 1909 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 1. The Boards. 4 
 
 2. Board of Foreign Missions. 5 
 
 3. Woman’s Board. 6 
 
 4. Qualifications of Candidates. 8 
 
 5. Applications and Testimonials.11 
 
 6. Appointment .14 
 
 7. Missionaries under Appointment.17 
 
 8. Outfit and Travel.18 
 
 9. In the Field.21 
 
 10. Recall, Furloughs and Return.27 
 
 11. Children of Missionaries.32 
 
 12. The Mission—Constitution and Powers.33 
 
 13. Appeals .'..36 
 
 14. Estimates .37 
 
 15. Financial .38 
 
 16. Mission Treasurer.41 
 
 17. Correspondence and Reports.42 
 
 Adopted December 10, 1908. All previous editions 
 of the Manual are superseded by this issue. 
 
 I 
 
MANUAL. 
 
 This pamphlet is designed for the use of the Board 
 and its missionaries. Its object is to set forth, as 
 nearly as may be, the relations of missionaries to the 
 Board and to the Missions of which they are members. 
 Those relations have always been of the most cordial 
 and fraternal character. It is desired that they may 
 always remain so, for the Board and the missionaries 
 are but helpers of one another, and workers together 
 in the common service of our Lord Jesus Christ and 
 of His Church. That this may be the case, the prin¬ 
 ciples on which the work of the Board and the Mis¬ 
 sions are conducted should be expressed in rules which 
 tend to promote regular and orderly procedure. These 
 rules should be clearly understood and will be found 
 herein. They are the result of long experience, yet 
 they are susceptible of changes in the future as neces¬ 
 sity or adaptability to changing circumstances may dic¬ 
 tate. Any questions not provided for, will receive 
 the careful consideration of the Board as 4 hey may, 
 from time to time, arise. But, until so changed, the 
 assent of every missionary who accepts an appointment 
 will be assumed. 
 
PART I. 
 
 The Boards. 
 
 The Board of Foreign Missions acts under a 
 Constitution approved by the General Synod of the 
 Reformed Church in America. It is composed of 
 twenty-seven members, ministers and laymen, of whom 
 nine are chosen annually by the Synod, and who 
 serve for three years. It is also a corporate body, by 
 special Acts of the Legislature of the State of New 
 York in i860 and 1873. 
 
 The Woman's Board of Foreign Missions was 
 organized in 1875, and acts under the Constitution 
 adopted at that time, but somewhat modified in 1892. 
 It was incorporated under the General “Act for the 
 Incorporation of Benevolent, Charitable, Scientific and 
 Missionary Societies” in the State of New York. 
 
 The Arabian Mission was organized in 1889, 
 and incorporated in 1891, under the Laws of the 
 State of New Jersey. In 1894, in accordance with the 
 action of the General Synod, and by mutual agree¬ 
 ment, it was taken under the care of the Board of 
 Foreign Missions. Its affairs are administered by 
 Trustees chosen from the members of the Board, its 
 distinct corporate existence being preserved. All its 
 receipts, expenditures and accounts are kept entirely 
 separate from those of the Board. The rules con¬ 
 tained in this Manual are also the rules of the Arabian 
 Mission so far as applicable. It acts under a Con¬ 
 stitution adopted in 1894. 
 
 4 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Board of Foreign Missions. 
 
 » 
 
 1. The Board claims no ecclesiastical authority, 
 and attempts to exercise none. Its missionaries are 
 subject to the authority and discipline of the Classes 
 or Churches to which they belong. 
 
 2. But, as the agent of the General Synod of the 
 Reformed Church, charged with the direction of its 
 Foreign Mission work, it is and holds itself under a 
 solemn responsibility to the Church in regard to the 
 character and capacity of those who represent it in the 
 field; as to the propriety of the methods employed, the 
 fidelity with which the labors of the missionaries are 
 performed and the principles of the Gospel, as they are 
 held by the Church, maintained and propagated; and 
 as to the economical use of'the funds contributed by 
 the churches, etc., and committed to its trust for the 
 sacred duty with which it is charged. 
 
 3. The Board will welcome and carefully consider 
 the application of any who may desire to devote them¬ 
 selves to missionary work in general, or to any special 
 department of it. For the information and guidance 
 of such applicants, a special leaflet and blank forms 
 are provided and will be furnished to those who desire 
 them. 
 
 4. The reception of applications, the appointment 
 of missionaries, the assignment of their fields of labor 
 and their dismissal are in the hands of the Executive 
 Committee; or, for the Arabian Mission, of the Board 
 of Trustees. 
 
 5. In making appointments, the Board will be gov¬ 
 erned by the necessities of the work in the different 
 fields under its care, and by the amount of money at 
 
 5 
 
its disposal. The fact of application shall in no case 
 be regarded as constituting a claim for appointment, 
 and any appointments may be recalled by the Board 
 when, in its judgment, the best interests of its work 
 so require. 
 
 6. Where a missionary is required for some par¬ 
 ticular service, or in any emergency arising on the 
 field, the Board holds itself at liberty to issue a call 
 to such person as it may deem qualified and desirable, 
 in a manner similar to the calling of a pastor by an 
 individual church. 
 
 7. Whenever, in the course of the year, the con¬ 
 dition of the Treasury may warrant, the Board may, 
 from time to time, make additional appropriations for 
 such other objects as may be desired by the Missions 
 and approved by the Board, in the order of their 
 importance. 
 
 8. No application for an additional appropriation 
 on the part of any individual missionary will, in any 
 case, be considered by the Board, which has not first 
 been submitted to the Mission to which he or she 
 belongs, and its action thereon, whether favorable or 
 otherwise, transmitted to the Board. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Woman's Board. 
 
 1. The work of the Board of Foreign Missions 
 and of the Woman’s Board is distinctly recognized to 
 be one, though the latter is specially designed and 
 conducted for the benefit of women and children in our 
 mission fields. 
 
 2. All appointments to the several missions are 
 reserved in the hands of the Board of Foreign 
 Missions. 
 
 6 
 
3. No appointments of missionaries to be sup¬ 
 ported by the Woman’s Board will be made without 
 first obtaining the assurance of that Board as to its 
 ability and willingness to become responsible for their 
 support. 
 
 4. The Woman’s Board will undertake no work 
 which involves continuous expenditure without first 
 consulting the Board of Foreign Missions as to its 
 necessity and advisability, and obtaining its favorable 
 recommendation. 
 
 5. Similarly, the Board of Foreign Missions will 
 undertake no work for which the Woman’s Board is 
 desired and expected to provide without the consent 
 and approval of that Board previously obtained. 
 
 6. Furloughs will be granted to missionaries sup¬ 
 ported by the Woman’s Board only after reference to 
 that Board and approval by it, inasmuch as the expense 
 involved will properly be borne by that Board. 
 
 7. The same principle holds good in regard to the 
 return of such missionaries to their respective fields, 
 and the question of refit, when their furloughs have 
 expired. 
 
 8. All money contributed by the Woman’s Board, 
 not otherwise specially designated, shall be carefully 
 applied to the special work for women and children 
 for which it has assumed responsibility, and of which 
 an Annual Estimate shall be furnished to it by the 
 Executive Committee, before the final action of the 
 Board of Foreign Missions.' 
 
 9. When reduction from the Estimates becomes 
 necessary, it shall be applied to all the work of the 
 Missions admitting of reduction without distinction, 
 with the sole exception of specific sums contributed 
 for specific objects. 
 
 7 
 
io. In the event of a surplus of contributions from 
 the Woman’s Board, above the obligations assumed by 
 it, or of such reduction as is indicated in Section 9, 
 it is agreed that such surplus, or the amount of such 
 reduction, when the Estimates furnished the Woman’s 
 Board are fully met, shall be applied to the support 
 of missionaries (women) who are not now supported 
 by the Woman’s Board but who are actually engaged 
 in work for women and children. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CANDIDATES, APPLICATIONS AND TESTIMONIALS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Qualifications. 
 
 Qualifications for missionary service are both gen¬ 
 eral and special. 
 
 G enera 1 Q ua lip ca tit ms. 
 
 1. The general qualifications do not differ mate¬ 
 rially from those which render a minister or other 
 Christian worker useful and acceptable at home. They 
 are such as these—devoted and consistent piety and 
 consecration to Christ and His glory; prayerful habits 
 and a devotional spirit; a blameless life and good rep¬ 
 utation ; suitable age, sound health, and a constitution 
 unimpaired; familiarity with the Bible, love for its 
 use and study, and acquaintance with the leading doc¬ 
 trines of the Gospel; good intellectual ability devel¬ 
 oped and disciplined by education; a reasonable apti¬ 
 tude for and facility in acquiring languages; aptness 
 to teach ; good temper, sound judgment, tact, adapt¬ 
 ability to men and circumstances, cheerfulness, ability 
 
 8 
 
to work in harmony with others, persistent energy in 
 the execution of plans once formed and adopted, and 
 “a large share of good common sense.” 
 
 2. It is especially desirable and important that 
 candidates should have had some experience in active 
 Christian work at home. Experience as a pastor in 
 this country is an admirable qualification for missionary 
 service. 
 
 3. It may be said, also, that any gift, talent, or 
 acquirement likely to add to usefulness at home will 
 add at least as much abroad, and the very highest 
 mental power, intellectual attainment, personal culture 
 and refinement, executive ability, organizing or admin¬ 
 istrative capacity, fertility in resources and expedients, 
 eloquence, will find ample scope in Mission fields; that 
 nowhere are they more needed, and nowhere will 
 their exercise bring larger rewards to the servant or 
 greater glory to the Master. Let no one who has this 
 work in view yield to the delusion that anything he 
 is or has is too precious to be used in Foreign Mission 
 work. On the contrary, that work is so great, so 
 difficult, so exacting and so far-reaching in its pur¬ 
 poses and consequences, as to demand all that is best 
 in the men and women who engage in it, and the very 
 best men and women the Church can supply. 
 
 Special Qualifications. 
 
 4. These have reference to the special form or 
 department of service in which the individual may 
 desire, or be appointed, to engage. As the work 
 usually carried on may be generally divided into Evan¬ 
 gelistic, Educational and Medical, so each person 
 desiring to enter on either of these departments of 
 service should have those special qualifications which 
 each demands. 
 
 9 
 
5. The evangelistic missionary should be a regu¬ 
 larly ordained minister (or one having ordination in 
 view), with the advantages of Collegiate and Theo¬ 
 logical training. 
 
 6. The teacher should have special training for 
 such service; some acquaintance with the best approved 
 methods of teaching and government, with knowledge 
 of child-nature, thought and life; experience in teach¬ 
 ing, and the faculty of winning the affection of 
 scholars. 
 
 7. The medical missionary should, in all cases, be a 
 graduate of a recognized and reputable Medical Col¬ 
 lege, with the usual degree. If he has had a period of 
 practice in this country, so much the better. In par¬ 
 ticular, he should be familiar with the practice of sur¬ 
 gery and the compounding of medicines and prescrip¬ 
 tions. It is important that he be acquainted with the 
 natural sciences, especially those allied with the study 
 and practice of his profession, and that he be deter¬ 
 mined to make his professional work subservient to 
 the furtherance of the Gospel. He must be a student 
 of the Bible; it is also desirable that he be well read 
 in Christian theology and familiar with the doctrines 
 and standards of the Reformed Church. 
 
 8. In the case of single women it is desired that 
 the applicant have, in addition to a full High School 
 or College training, or its equivalent, experience in 
 Sunday-school and other departments of Church work, 
 and, if possible, special training in methods of teach¬ 
 ing, in general evangelistic work, and other subjects 
 closely related to her work as a missionary. 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Applications and Testimonials. 
 
 In view of the varied and solemn responsibilities of 
 missionaries, and the serious consequences to the 
 Church and to the individual of a possible mistake 
 in so important a matter, the Board regards itself as 
 obliged, before appointing any person, to obtain as full 
 a knowledge as possible of his character and qualifi¬ 
 cations for the work in which he seeks to be engaged. 
 Candidates, in their applications, are earnestly 
 entreated to exercise the greatest carefulness, to be 
 conscientiously accurate in statement and true to their 
 convictions. All such communications will be regarded 
 as strictly confidential by the Board. 
 
 Applies tions. 
 
 i. All applications for appointment as a mission¬ 
 ary must be made by the person seeking such appoint¬ 
 ment, in his own handwriting, addressed to the Cor¬ 
 responding Secretary, and should state concisely, but 
 distinctly, his age, native place, residence, early edu¬ 
 cation, previous and present employments, his state of 
 health at the present time and in the past; the length 
 of time he has been a member of the Church, and his 
 motives in desiring to become a missionary; his expec¬ 
 tation in reference to marriage (if single) ; the field he 
 prefers, and the reasons for such preference, and the 
 department of work in which he wishes to engage, 
 together with such other items as may be desired. 
 
 N. B.—Blank forms for such statement will be fur¬ 
 nished to those who may desire to make application, 
 by the Corresponding Secretary, when deemed expe¬ 
 dient. But the giving such blank and the receipt of 
 
 11 
 
such application should in no case be regarded as con¬ 
 stituting a claim for appointment. 
 
 2. If the applicant be in a Theological Seminary, 
 Medical or other school, the proper time for the pre¬ 
 sentation of his application is at or near the com¬ 
 mencement of his last year of study. In other cases 
 it is desirable that it be made at least six months before 
 preparation is completed, or the probable time of depar¬ 
 ture if appointed. 
 
 3. The application of those who are or who expect 
 to be the wives of missionaries are usually presented 
 through their husbands, present or intended, and 
 should embrace, as far as they are applicable, the same 
 particulars. In the case of single women, substantially 
 the same course should be followed as shown in section 
 1, above. 
 
 Testimonials. 
 
 4. In addition to the personal application of the 
 individual, the following testimonials shall be required, 
 viz.: from his pastor; from the physician of his family, 
 or one who may have attended him; from his instruc¬ 
 tors, separately or jointly; from persons of intelligence 
 and piety, who have known him well. Such testi¬ 
 monials shall relate to his Christian character and 
 standing as a member of the Church ; his natural talents 
 and temper, and the probability of working happily 
 with others; his judgment, discretion and common 
 sense; his literary and theological attainments, and 
 his professional ability or skill, according to the depart¬ 
 ment in which he is to labor; his habits of improving 
 time and opportunities of usefulness; his personal hab¬ 
 its of economy, and those of his family, if he have 
 one; his facility in acquiring languages; his personal 
 
 12 
 
appearance, manners and address; any peculiarities of 
 character, habits, constitution of the applicant or any 
 immediate members of his family that may seem to 
 have a bearing on the case; his fitness for a particular 
 field, and peculiarities as a preacher. 
 
 5. The testimonials of ordained ministers and theo¬ 
 logical students should, in all cases, include the cer¬ 
 tificate of membership and recommendation of the 
 Classis or other ecclesiastical body to which the appli¬ 
 cant belongs. 
 
 6. If the appointment sought be that of a physi¬ 
 cian or teacher, the testimonials should embrace letters 
 from instructors or from intelligent persons who are 
 familiar with the professional as well as personal char¬ 
 acter and standing, qualifications, work and success of 
 the applicant. 
 
 7. In the case of a woman, so much of the above 
 as is applicable, and the testimonials of such Chris¬ 
 tian women as have known her intimately, will be 
 required. It is desirable to have young women, so 
 far as possible, recommended for the work by the 
 Woman’s Board and the Auxiliaries or other societies 
 that may be acquainted with them. The final decision 
 and appointment will, however, in all cases remain 
 with this Board. 
 
 8. In every case, special’care should be exercised, 
 both in application and testimonials, to state fully and 
 frankly all facts bearing upon the question of health. 
 Before the appointment, blank forms of certificate will 
 be furnished the applicant, containing inquiries to be 
 answered in writing by the family physician, or other 
 responsible physician, who is acquainted with the per¬ 
 son, and also by the applicant. 
 
 9. In no case will any one be appointed who would 
 
 13 
 
not be recommended for acceptance by the examining 
 physician of a reputable Life Insurance Company. 
 Should the Board deem it desirable, every applicant 
 will be required to undergo an examination by its own 
 examining physician, whose certificate shall be sub¬ 
 mitted with other testimonials. 
 
 io. It is most earnestly desired that testimonials 
 be written with perfect candor. To secure this result, 
 it is better that they be sent directly to the Corres¬ 
 ponding Secretary of the Board, rather than through 
 the applicant. All such communications will be 
 regarded as confidential. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Appointment. 
 
 1. If the preceding requirements are complied 
 with, and the Executive Committee deem the case such 
 as to encourage hope of usefulness, the applicant shall 
 be invited to meet the Executive Committee to give 
 them opportunity to become acquainted with him, and 
 no appointment shall be made of persons in this coun¬ 
 try without previous personal interview, unless, for 
 sufficient reason, the Committee shall see fit to dis¬ 
 pense with it. 
 
 2. The Executive Committee will not be held 
 responsible for any expenses or debts of an applicant 
 for missionary appointment, while it may counsel him 
 in meeting them, that every appointee may leave the 
 country free of debt. 
 
 3. When an applicant is accepted, the selection of 
 the field or department of labor shall, in ordinary cases, 
 be left with the Executive Committee. The preference 
 of the candidate is always considered, but may be 
 overruled. * 
 
 14 
 
4. When an appointment is made, it shall be under¬ 
 stood to be for life, subject to the developments of 
 Providence, except that, in special cases, the Board 
 may make contracts for a term of years with teachers 
 and other helpers, in its discretion. 
 
 5. Candidates who have received their appointment 
 cannot expect payment for their expenses, or support, 
 from the Board, until they actually, and by direction 
 of the Executive Committee, enter upon its service. 
 
 6. It is the standing rule of the Board not to pay 
 any part of the expenses incurred in the regular course 
 of preparatory study, whether theological, medical, or 
 other. 
 
 7. When a missionary has received official notice 
 of his appointment, if he is not already ordained, it is 
 left with himself and the Classis with which he is 
 connected, to arrange for his ordination. It is desir¬ 
 able that the time, place, and all the circumstances 
 should be such as, in the highest degree possible, to 
 awaken or increase interest in the cause and work of 
 missions. 
 
 8. Missionaries and associate missionaries who 
 may be appointed from other bodies, will ordinarily 
 be expected to connect themselves with some Classis 
 or Church within the bounds of the Reformed Church. 
 In the case of the Arabian Mission, however, this 
 shall not be required, nor in such other cases as, in 
 the judgment of the Executive Committee, may war¬ 
 rant a relaxation of this rule. But in no case shall 
 any missionary or associate missionary be appointed 
 who is not of approved piety and a member, in good 
 standing, of a recognized evangelical church. 
 
 9. In the case of all missionaries appointed and 
 sent out, it is distinctly understood and expected 
 
 15 
 
that, should they remove to the service of another 
 Board, or retire from the field for other reasons than 
 those of health or such as receive the approval of the 
 Board, during their first year on the field, they will 
 return, or have returned to this Board on their account, 
 the full amount expended for their travel and outfit; 
 twenty-five per cent, of this amount to be deducted for 
 each subsequent year of service, such missionaries after 
 the fourth year of service to be regarded as having dis¬ 
 charged all such obligations. Twelve months' notice, 
 whenever possible, shall be given of such intended 
 removal or retirement. 
 
 10. In such cases as may be deemed expedient, the 
 Committee will exercise the right to employ mission¬ 
 aries as agents, before their embarkation, for the pur¬ 
 pose of introducing them in the most acceptable man¬ 
 ner to congregations, of interesting the people in behalf 
 of Missions, of promoting their own zeal in the cause, 
 and of acquainting them with the Committee’s method 
 of operation, and the obstacles with which it is obliged 
 to contend in supporting Foreign Missions. In all 
 such cases the duty will be assigned by the Committee, 
 and proper allowance made for the services performed 
 and expenses incurred therein. 
 
 11. All missionaries accepting appointment shall 
 be expected to acquaint themselves with the provisions 
 of the Manual, a copy of which shall be furnished 
 them for this purpose, and to consider themselves 
 bound by its rules, so long as they retain their con¬ 
 nection with the Board or anv of its Missions. 
 
 10 
 
PART III. 
 
 MISSIONARIES. 
 
 Regularly ordained ministers of the Gospel, licensed 
 preachers, physicians, teachers and all unmarried 
 women, under regular appointment and not under a 
 special contract, are called Missionaries, and all mar¬ 
 ried women, Associate Missionaries. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Under Appointment. 
 
 1. When an appointment is made, the missionary 
 shall hold himself in readiness to receive the instruc¬ 
 tions of the Committee. 
 
 2. Candidates who have received their appoint¬ 
 ments cannot begin to draw upon the Board for their 
 expenses until they actually, and by the direction of 
 the Executive Committee, enter upon its service. 
 
 3. In urgent cases, the Executive Committee may 
 grant to parties under appointment and previous to 
 their departure for the field, for one, two or three 
 months, according to the necessities of each case, an 
 amount equal to one-half the salary they would be 
 entitled to receive on the field for the same space of 
 time. 
 
 4. Besides employing missionaries under appoint¬ 
 ment as agents (Pt. II., Chap. III., Sec. 10), the Board 
 reserves the right to employ all missionaries at home 
 on furlough as agents in its behalf, so far as their 
 health and other circumstances will admit. In all such 
 cases the duty will be assigned by the Executive 
 Committee, and proper allowance made for all expenses 
 incurred. 
 
 5. The time of setting out on a journey is to be 
 
 17 
 
settled by conference with the Secretary, with the 
 approval of the Committee. Timely arrangements 
 should be made, especially in the purchase of such 
 things as are needed. 
 
 6. A passport, obtained from the Secretary of 
 State at Washington, is important and in many cases 
 indispensable. It may be obtained by direct application 
 or through a Notary Public, and every missionary 
 should attend to this matter for himself at an early 
 date after his appointment. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 . Outfit and Travel. 
 
 Outfit . 
 
 1. The missionary is expected to purchase his own 
 outfit, and prepare all his parcels for shipment. The 
 outfit of a missionary consists of the clothing, bedding, 
 etc., for use on arriving at his place of destination, 
 together with a select private library, and the necessary 
 furniture for housekeeping. Printed lists of the articles 
 most needed have been prepared, with the aid of rep¬ 
 resentatives of each Mission, and will be sent to those 
 desiring them. Much of the outfit, in the way of 
 furniture, and even of clothing, can now be purchased 
 on the field. 
 
 2. All goods intended to be shipped direct, and 
 
 not to accompany the missionary, should be packed in 
 well-made boxes, of moderate size, securely fastened 
 and “strapped” (bound around the ends with iron 
 bands). The boxes should be numbered, and a list 
 kept of the contents of each, with the value, actual or 
 estimated, of each class of articles, as books, $.; 
 
 18 
 
clothing, $.; household linen, $.; etc., etc. 
 
 Copies of these lists should be sent to the office of the 
 Board, for use at the Custom House and the purpose 
 of insurance. 
 
 3. It is desirable for reasons of economy in freight 
 charges, etc., that bulky goods, as furniture, if bought 
 in this country, be purchased in New York when pos¬ 
 sible, unless otherwise advised by the Treasurer, who 
 should in all cases be consulted. 
 
 4. Whenever possible it is expected that the cost 
 of providing the outfit be met by the family or friends 
 of the outgoing missionary. Parents who would have 
 aided their children with funds to commence house¬ 
 keeping after marriage, or to start them in business, 
 had they remained in this country, will surely not 
 withhold such aid when and because they become for¬ 
 eign missionaries. 
 
 Outfit Grants. 
 
 5. When this is not possible, however, and such 
 aid is needed, the Board may grant toward the pur¬ 
 chase of outfit, upon written application, sums not ex¬ 
 ceeding, for a married missionary and his wife, $600, 
 and for a single man or woman, $300. (For the Ara¬ 
 bian Mission the amount for each individual is limited 
 to $200, by request of that Mission.) This allowance 
 is to be used only for proper outfit expenses, and is 
 available within three months before departure for the 
 field, and may be drawn at any time within a year after 
 the time of arrival on the field. 
 
 It is recommended that this outfit, if granted, be 
 used with economy, and a considerable portion of it 
 reserved for purchases to be made after arriving on 
 the field. 
 
 19 
 
6. The outfit allowance of single missionaries or 
 families, commissioned to reside and work in furnished 
 buildings, shall be one-half the above amounts. In 
 case of subsequent change of assignment, to reside 
 in an unfurnished building, the balance of the outfit 
 money shall be paid. 
 
 Special Grant for Surgical Outfit. 
 
 7. An allowance of $150 may be made for surgical 
 outfit to a medical missionary, when necessary, to sup¬ 
 plement the outfit already existing on the field. Should 
 such missionary withdraw from the service of the 
 Board, all such outfit must be turned over to the Treas¬ 
 urer of the Mission, as the property of the Board, and 
 held subject to its order. 
 
 Return of Outfit. 
 
 8. Should a missionary retire from the field, within 
 four years, all furniture purchased with an outfit allow¬ 
 ance will be regarded as the property of the Board. 
 Should a missionary die within a year after his appoint¬ 
 ment, all unexpended balance of an outfit allowance is 
 also to be regarded as the property of the Board and 
 should be returned to its Treasury. 
 
 Tra veling Expenses. 
 
 9. The Board will bear all necessary traveling 
 expenses of the missionary from his residence to the 
 place of embarkation, as well as those of the journey 
 to his station by a direct route. Should this be de¬ 
 parted from and additional expense incurred, the in¬ 
 creased cost must be borne by the missionary. The 
 Board will also pay the cost of freight for outfit to 
 the place of destination, to the extent only of six tons, 
 ship measurement, forty cubic feet to a ton, for a mar- 
 
 20 
 
ried missionary, and three tons for each unmarried 
 missionary, together with customs dues and insurance 
 on a sum not to exceed $300 for each individual. 
 
 10. In case the entire outfit is not purchased and 
 shipped at the time of departure, additional goods may 
 be ordered and a second shipment made within one 
 year, but the whole cost of freight and duties to be 
 paid by the Board shall not exceed the limits above 
 stated. 
 
 11. On being advised of the day fixed for embark¬ 
 ation, the missionary will proceed to the port appointed, 
 so as to reach it at least three days before the time of 
 sailing. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 'In the Field. 
 
 Arrival. 
 
 1. On his arrival within the bounds of the Mis¬ 
 sion to which he has been appointed, the missionary 
 shall report himself as soon as possible to the Secre¬ 
 tary or other officer of the Mission, and shall be subject 
 to all the laws and regulations established for the gov¬ 
 ernment of the same. 
 
 He shall also furnish the Treasurer of the Mission 
 with a statement of all money received for traveling 
 expenses, and a detailed account of expenses actually 
 incurred for the journey, with vouchers when possible. 
 This account shall be carefully examined by the Treas¬ 
 urer of the Mission, both as to its accuracy and die 
 suitableness of its items and amounts, and a copy duly 
 attested, together with his report thereon, shall be sent 
 by him at once to the Board. 
 
 21 
 
/Salaries. 
 
 2 . Each person appointed, shall be allowed for 
 himself and family such salary as in the judgment of 
 the Committee is required by his or their circumstances, 
 and the cost of living and travel in the country to which 
 the appointment is made, the design being to furnish 
 a comfortable support to the missionaries while they 
 continue under the commission of the Board on the 
 Mission field, and no more. Such salary shall be sub¬ 
 ject to revision from time to time, and there may be an 
 increase, reduction or withdrawal, as the Board may 
 decide. 
 
 (At present the salary of each married missionary 
 in China is $1,100; in India and Japan, $1,200, and in 
 Arabia, $1,200. Of each single man in all the Mis¬ 
 sions, $700, and of each single woman, $600; excepting 
 in India, where these are $800 and $650 respectively.) 
 
 3. Salaries shall commence from the day of the 
 arrival of the missionaries within the bounds of the 
 Mission to which they are appointed, and shall cease 
 on the day of their departure therefrom. 
 
 House Rent. 
 
 4. In addition to the salary, a house is provided. 
 If the Board own no house at the station to which he 
 is assigned, a sufficient allowance is made to each mis¬ 
 sionary for house-rent, such allowance to include the 
 amount actually expended for the purpose, with an 
 addition not exceeding ten per cent., to cover such 
 minor repairs and expenses as may be necessary. 
 
 If a house in the native style be rented for a term 
 of years, such additional allowance as the Mission 
 shall approve may be made for the first year. 
 
 5. The particular station and work of each mis- 
 
 22 
 
sionary is, in general, assigned by the Mission and not 
 by the Board, though the right of the latter to make 
 such assignment is distinctly reserved. Each mission¬ 
 ary will be expected to accept the position thus 
 assigned. 
 
 Language Study. 
 
 6. Missionaries should give their first and special 
 attention to the work of acquiring accurately the lan¬ 
 guage of the country to which they are sent, and, ex¬ 
 cept under the pressure of very great necessity, of 
 Which the Committee shall judge, no other work 
 should be allowed to interfere with this. 
 
 At the end of the first and second years after the 
 arrival of a new missionary, the Mission is requested 
 to ascertain and make report to the Board in regard 
 to his progress in the acquisition of the native language 
 and his knowledge and skill in its practical use. 
 
 Language Teachers. 
 
 7. The Board is prepared to grant an allowance 
 for language teachers and literary assistants to those 
 who require them, at a rate to be determined by the 
 Mission. This is not to be regarded as a personal 
 allowance, and the Mission must certify that such 
 expenditure is necessary and is actually used for the 
 purposes indicated. 
 
 8. In beginning and prosecuting their studies and 
 in the care and preservation of their health, new mis¬ 
 sionaries should follow the counsel of the older and 
 more experienced members of the Mission. Due atten¬ 
 tion to this point will promote usefulnes and prevent 
 many failures. 
 
 Lndividual Correspondence. 
 
 9. Every missionary is expected to correspond 
 
 23 
 
freely and as frequently as possible with the Board, 
 and give such information relating to his work, or the 
 work of the Mission, as may be made useful and profit¬ 
 able in interesting and encouraging the Church at 
 home. Though this may make a considerable draft 
 upon the missionary’s time and strength, no work is 
 of greater importance. 
 
 10. No application shall be made by any mission¬ 
 ary to churches, societies, or individuals at home for 
 funds for any special purpose, without the sanction 
 of the Mission and also of the Executive Committee, 
 previously obtained; and all contributions in answer 
 to such appeals thus sanctioned, must pass through 
 the Treasurer of the Board. 
 
 \ 
 
 Outside Employment. 
 
 11. No missionary shall engage in any secular 
 employment, nor in any religious employment distinct 
 from that of the Mission to which he has been ap¬ 
 pointed, without first obtaining the consent of the 
 Mission, and holding the same subject to the approval 
 of the Executive Committee, which shall be renewed 
 from year to year. If such work brings him any 
 pecuniary compensation, the money so received should 
 be turned over to the Treasurer of the Mission and 
 reported to the Board, so long as he continues to draw 
 his usual salary. 
 
 Medico 1 Work. 
 
 12. Medical missionaries shall constantly make 
 their practice of medicine among the natives conduce 
 to the advancement of the Missionary work. If receiv¬ 
 ing a fixed salary from the Board, any fees which they 
 may receive for medical service should be turned over 
 
 24 
 
to the Treasurer of the Mission and reported to the 
 Board. 
 
 13. Medical missionaries are expected to give 
 their professional services freely to members of the 
 Mission to which they are attached. At stations where 
 there is such a medical missionary in the service of the 
 Board, or other competent physician available, the 
 Board cannot hold itself responsible for any expense 
 incurred in seeking medical aid elsewhere. Where 
 there is no medical missionary or other physician, the 
 Board will be responsible for expense incurred in 
 reaching or obtaining the nearest competent physician. 
 
 Dona tions. 
 
 14. All donations received for hospitals, schools 
 or other work shall be expended according to the ex¬ 
 pressed wish of the donors, but only with the approval 
 of the Mission. If in any case a special object is 
 designated which a majority of the Mission does not 
 approve, the matter shall be reported to the Board for 
 its advice and direction. 
 
 Medical Dills. 
 
 15. An annual appropriation is made to each Mis¬ 
 sion for medical bills. This appropriation is not in¬ 
 tended to include the payment of bills for the treat¬ 
 ment of the teeth, nor for the purchase of drugs, medi¬ 
 cines, spectacles, etc. But drugs and medicines ob¬ 
 tained from hospitals or dispensaries maintained by the 
 Board should be furnished to members of the Missions 
 without charge. 
 
 In any special case where the Mission deems it 
 proper to make an exception to this rule it may send 
 to the Board a request to that effect, noting the rea¬ 
 sons, and if the Board considers the reasons sufficient 
 
a special appropriation will be made to meet the case. 
 No medical bills shall be paid until after they have 
 been examined and approved by the Mission. 
 
 Purchase of Goods. 
 
 16. The Board, through its officers, is always 
 ready to discharge such commissions, in the purchase 
 and shipping of goods, payment of bills, etc., etc., as 
 may be confided to it by any of its missionaries in the 
 field, and receive and transmit funds for their personal 
 use, subject to such rules as it may find necessary. But 
 the purchase and forwarding of goods from this coun¬ 
 try through Mission agencies, for the use and benefit 
 of persons not members of our own or neighboring 
 Missions, are open to serious objection. No such 
 commissions will, therefore, be attended to, and none 
 such should be sent. 
 
 When an order is sent to the Board for the purchase 
 of goods for a school, hospital or other institution, or 
 for the payment of bill for the same, the probable 
 amount of the bill should be stated, and the assurance 
 should be given that the purchase has been approved 
 by vote of the Mission, and that the institution has 
 ample credit for the same within the appropriations for 
 the current year. 
 
 17. Missionaries regularly appointed by the 
 Board, and laboring in connection with its Missions, 
 but supported either in part or wholly by other funds 
 than those of the Board, will be expected to conform 
 to the same rules as other missionaries so long as they 
 retain such connection. 
 
 26 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Recall, Furloughs and Return. 
 
 Recall. 
 
 1. Whenever the continuance of any missionary in 
 connection with the Board shall be deemed inexpedient, 
 in the judgment of the Committee, the relation may at 
 any time be terminated and the appointment cancelled. 
 Should the missionary be in the field, six months’ no¬ 
 tice shall be given of his return, or six months’ salary; 
 and the cost of return passage to this country will be 
 met by the Board, within such limits of time as it 
 may prescribe. 
 
 Vacations on the Field. 
 
 2. Missionaries are expected conscientiously to 
 care for their health, taking such rests and vacations 
 in the vicinity of their Mission fields as are necessary 
 for this purpose and approved by the Mission. When 
 missionaries take such rest or vacation, with the ap¬ 
 proval of the Mission, their salary and allowances shall 
 continue as usual, and their traveling expenses shall 
 be paid by the Mission. But no expense should be in¬ 
 curred by the Mission on this account except upon a 
 certificate by a medical member of the Mission, or, if 
 there be none, of some other competent physician, tes¬ 
 tifying to its necessity, such certificates to be for¬ 
 warded to the Board. 
 
 Furloughs. 
 
 3. While appointments are usually made for life, 
 yet occasional furloughs, embracing a return to the 
 United States, are not only proper, but on many ac¬ 
 counts desirable. The frequency of such furloughs will 
 depend in part, upon the health of the missionary and 
 
 27 
 
in part upon the location and climate of the Mission. 
 No uniform time for furloughs has been fixed. They 
 should, however, be so arranged as to interfere as 
 litttle as possible with the work of the Mission, and 
 also to avoid the absence from the field and the pres¬ 
 ence in this country of too many members of any one 
 Mission at the same time. It is desirable that they 
 cover, if possible, absence from the field during two 
 hot seasons. 
 
 In general, it may be said, as the result of past 
 experience, that no furlough should be granted until 
 after a period of five years continuous service in 
 Arabia, seven years in China and Japan, and eight 
 years in India. It is recommended, however, that a 
 missionary is not to assume that he is to take a fur¬ 
 lough at the expiration of this minimum term of ser¬ 
 vice, irrespective of his health and the needs of the 
 work. The Mission itself can best determine the pre¬ 
 cise limits for the individual missionary, as it is con¬ 
 versant both with the physical condition of the indi¬ 
 vidual and with the work which will be afifected by his 
 departure. 
 
 The term of service of medical women shall be five 
 years, not including the first term, which shall be seven 
 years. 
 
 Special Causes for Return. 
 
 4. When a missionary shall desire, on account of 
 ill health or for any other cause, permission to return 
 to the United States, not at the usual time for a fur¬ 
 lough, he is required to obtain permission from the 
 Executive Committee so to do, when it is practicable 
 (always sending with his request the opinion of his 
 Mission), and when impracticable to obtain such per- 
 
 28 
 
mission, he is required to obtain the consent of his 
 Mission, which consent shall always be subject to the 
 revision of the Executive Committee. 
 
 The consent of the Mission should always be imme¬ 
 diately reported to the Board with the reasons for it. 
 In case of failure of health it should also be accom¬ 
 panied by a physician’s certificate as to the necessity 
 of such return. 
 
 Length of Furlough. 
 
 5. In all ordinary cases furloughs are for eighteen 
 months, including the time required for a direct jour¬ 
 ney home and return .to the field. This time may be 
 extended when the health of the parties requires it, or 
 for other satisfactory reasons. But in all such cases 
 application should be made to the Committee for such 
 extension, stating the reasons therefor, before the 
 expiration of the regular time allowed. 
 
 Tin veling Expenses. 
 
 6. The traveling expenses of missionaries return¬ 
 ing on furlough with the approval of the Committee, 
 by a direct route, will be paid by the Board. One 
 measured ton of freight without customs duty is 
 allowed each adult and one-half ton for each child. 
 They shall also be permitted to draw an amount not 
 to exceed $25 for each adult, to cover cost of clothing 
 and other incidental expenses. Provision for the cost 
 of such anticipated return should invariably be inserted 
 in the annual Estimates of the Missions. 
 
 Home Allowance. 
 
 7. The Committee will make such allowance for 
 .the support of missionaries during their stay in this 
 country on furlough, as the circumstances of each case 
 may require and the means of the Board allow. This 
 
 29 
 
allowance shall date from the time of arrival in the 
 United States, shall be for one year only unless regu¬ 
 larly renewed, and shall be charged to the Missions to 
 which they belong as a part of the expenses of said 
 Mission. 
 
 Medical Bills at Home. 
 
 8. Ordinary medical expenses of missionaries in 
 this country must be paid from the allowance pro¬ 
 vided in the preceding section. Where special medical 
 or surgical treatment is needed, because of disease or 
 disability contracted during service in the field, the cost 
 of the same, when approved by the Executive Com¬ 
 mittee, will be paid by the Board and charged to the 
 Mission to which the patient belongs, as a part of the 
 regular appropriation for medical bills. 
 
 In case the amount so paid and charged to the 
 Board shall increase the amount expended by the Mis¬ 
 sion for medical bills beyond the appropriation for that 
 purpose, the excess may be assumed by the Board. 
 
 9. Missionaries at home on furlough shall be at 
 all times welcome to attend the regular meetings of 
 the Board. They shall be invited to attend a meeting 
 of the Executive Committee as soon after their arrival 
 home as may be convenient, to inform the Committee 
 concerning the condition and work of their respective 
 Missions. Their presence may be specially invited 
 when matters of importance relating to their own 
 Missions are to be considered. 
 
 Be turn to the Field. 
 
 10. When missionaries return to their fields, the 
 Board will defray their traveling expenses and those 
 of their children under fourteen years of age, from 
 their home or place of residence by the usual and 
 
 30 
 
direct route of travel. It will also pay charges for one 
 measured ton of freight for each adult and one-half 
 ton for each child. In case the children desire to 
 return as missionaries, they shall be subject to the 
 same rules as other missionaries, or candidates. 
 
 Medical Certificate Before Return to Field. 
 
 11. Each missionary at home on furlough after a 
 period of five or more years on the field, is asked to 
 present to the Executive Committee a proper medical 
 certificate before entering upon another period of 
 service. 
 
 Refit Allowance. 
 
 12. Missionaries on returning to the field after 
 furlough, may be allowed, when necessary, one-half the 
 regular outfit grant for refit. The cost of freight on 
 such refit, to the place of destination, will be paid by 
 the Board to the extent of one and one-half tons (forty 
 cubic feet per ton) for each adult and half this amount 
 for each child, together with customs dues and insur¬ 
 ance on a sum equal to the amount of the grant. But no 
 such grant for refit shall be made more than once to the 
 same person or family, unless under circumstances of 
 peculiar necessity, of which the Committee shall judge. 
 
 Retirement. 
 
 13. When missionaries or associate missionaries 
 return home, their connection with the Board shall 
 cease as soon as there is no longer a reasonable prob¬ 
 ability of their returning to their missionary labor. 
 A decision that it will be impossible to return to the 
 field shall be held to be equivalent to a resignation, 
 and the Board will make such equitable arrangement 
 as the exigencies of each case may demand. 
 
 31 
 
14. When superannuated or disabled missionaries, 
 or widows of missionaries, return finally to this coun¬ 
 try with the approbation of the Executive Committee, 
 it shall be the duty of the Committee to make such 
 grants toward their support, as the circumstances of 
 each case shall require, and the resources of the Board 
 allow :—it being understood; 
 
 a. That no pensions or annuities are to be set¬ 
 tled on any person, and that no grant is to be 
 made, except in extraordinary cases, for a longer 
 period than one year. 
 
 b. That, except in extraordinary cases, after 
 the lapse of six months from their return, no grant 
 is to be made to returned missionaries or associate 
 missionaries, who are neither superannuated, nor 
 disabled by sickness, and yet are not expected to 
 resume their labors. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Children of Missionaries. 
 
 1. In addition to salary, an allowance of $100 is 
 made 'for each child while it remains on the field, or is 
 with its parents at home, to the age of ten, and $150 
 from ten to eighteen years. 
 
 2. When missionaries desire to send their chil¬ 
 dren to this country for education, and it is decided 
 with the approval of the Mission and the Board, that 
 the children may come, the allowance, extraordinary 
 cases excepted, shall be only for a passage directly 
 home. 
 
 3. When the children arrive in this country, the 
 Board will make grants, on application from the pa¬ 
 rents or guardians, to an amount not exceeding $150 a 
 year for each child, until the children are fourteen 
 
 32 
 
years old, when the grant may be $200 till the age of 
 eighteen. The same rule applies to children who 
 remain in this country when their parents return to 
 the field. In special cases, and upon application, the 
 Committee is authorized to continue this grant, for 
 educational purposes only, to the age of twenty years. 
 This grant ceases when the missionary ceases to be 
 connected with the Board. But the children of mis¬ 
 sionaries who have died in the service shall be entitled 
 to receive it, when necessary, under the same limita¬ 
 tions as to age. 
 
 4. No allowance will be provided in the case of 
 children who may be adopted by missionaries. 
 
 5. The allowances made on account of the chil¬ 
 dren of living missionaries, wherever the children may 
 be educated, shall be charged to the Mission to which 
 the parents belong; and the allowances made on 
 account of orphan children shall, in ordinary cases, 
 be charged to the Mission to which the parents be¬ 
 longed at the time of their decease. 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 The Mission. 
 
 A Mission consists of all the missionaries of the 
 Board in a particular country or within certain speci¬ 
 fied territorial limits. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Constitution and Powers. 
 
 Organ iza (uni. 
 
 1. When three or more missionaries are located 
 in the same field they shall organize themselves for 
 business as a Mission by the choice of a President 
 
a Secretary and Treasurer. No native shall be a 
 member or take part in the action of such Mission. 
 
 Meetings. 
 
 2. Regular meetings of the Missions shall be held 
 at such times as each Mission may determine, and all 
 missionaries and associate missionaries shall be entitled 
 and are urged to attend them. 
 
 3. Special meetings may be held, subject to such 
 rules as each Mission may provide. But the action 
 taken at such meetings shall be subject to revision by 
 the next regular meeting. 
 
 4. In regular and special meetings, at which a 
 quorum is present, all questions shall be decided by 
 the vote of a majority present and voting, subject, 
 however, to the following provisions: 
 
 a. No missionary or associate missionary shall 
 be allowed to vote who has not been one year on 
 the field, and has not passed the examination pre¬ 
 scribed for the first year. 
 
 b. All regularly appointed missionaries shall 
 have the right to vote on every question. 
 
 c. Associate missionaries, who have passed the 
 first year’s examination, and are regularly en¬ 
 gaged in definite work assigned to them by the 
 Mission, may be admitted to the same privilege 
 by a majority vote of the Mission, so long as 
 they continue to be so employed. 
 
 Unles. 
 
 5. Each Mission shall be at liberty, and is advised, 
 to adopt such system of rules as in its judgment is best 
 calculated to promote the regularity, economy and 
 effectiveness of its work, provided that nothing in such 
 
 34 
 
system or particular rules shall in any way conflict 
 with the rules of the Board as contained in the 
 Manual. Copies of the same should be sent to the 
 Board for its information. 
 
 Exa in inn tions. 
 
 6. It shall be the duty of each Mission to pro¬ 
 vide a course of study for new missionaries, recom¬ 
 mend their teachers, superintend their studies and 
 provide for examinations at the end of their first and 
 second years, due regard being had to the acquisition 
 of both the written and the spoken language, and 
 also to a knowledge of the Scriptures in the vernacular. 
 At the end of each year’s examination the Mission shall 
 report the result to the Executive Committee. 
 
 Comity. 
 
 7. It is a principle with the Board that its Missions 
 and missionaries seek to maintain friendly relations 
 with those of other Societies, and especially that they 
 associate themselves as closely as possible with those 
 of like faith and order, laboring in the same field. 
 
 Relations to Governments, Etc. 
 
 8. Missions and missionaries should carefully 
 abstain from all interference with the political affairs 
 and institutions of the people among whom they labor, 
 and in the prosecution or defense of lawsuits. While 
 their good offices may be used to promote a peaceful 
 settlement of difficulties, extreme caution should be 
 exercised in invoking the intervention of Consular or 
 Diplomatic Agents of their own or other governments. 
 
 Offi cia I A ])poin tmen ts. 
 
 9. No missionary is at liberty to accept any Con- 
 
 35 
 
sular or other appointment under the United States 
 government or any other, without having first obtained 
 the approval of his Mission and also of the Board. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Appeals. 
 
 The Right of Appeal. 
 
 1. The Board, while reserving the right to revise, 
 approve or annul the decisions of the Missions, yet 
 earnestly desires and hopes that questions relating to 
 the general conduct of the Missions or the work of 
 individual missionaries, may be satisfactorily settled 
 on the field. The right, however, of each missionary 
 is fully recognized, to appeal to the Board from a 
 decision of the Mission by which he may feel himself 
 aggrieved, or which he may conceive to be injurious 
 to the work. 
 
 Mode of Procedure. 
 
 2. Every missionary so appealing shall give to the 
 Mission due notice of his intention, and shall file with 
 it a copy of all papers which he proposes to send to 
 the Board, in ample time for the Mission to prepare 
 a reply, of which he shall also receive a copy. 
 
 Stay of Proceedings. 
 
 3. Pending the Board’s decision in such a case, no 
 action shall be taken, unless imperatively demanded, 
 which will change established conditions, the appeal 
 in all ordinary cases operating as a “stay of proceed¬ 
 ings.” When action of some kind, however, seems 
 to be imperative, the Mission shall immediately make 
 full report to the Board of the fact and nature of the 
 action and the reasons therefor. 
 
 36 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Estimates. 
 
 Mission Estimates. 
 
 1. Each Mission shall prepare every year, in such 
 manner as is most convenient, and in such form as 
 the Executive Committee may direct, a careful estimate 
 of the probable necessary expenses for the work of 
 the year ensuing, specifying the different objects in 
 detail, to be forwarded so as to reach the Board not 
 later than the first of September. These Estimates 
 shall be made out in local currency except in the mat¬ 
 ter of salaries and allowances of missionaries, includ¬ 
 ing expenses on property occupied by them, to be paid 
 either on the field or in this country. The estimated 
 rate of exchange shall be distinctly stated. 
 
 Sta tion Estimates. 
 
 2. Each Station in the Mission shall prepare its 
 own estimate of expenditures for the year. These 
 shall be submitted to and carefully examined by the 
 Mission, and from these, when approved, the general 
 estimate shall be made up. 
 
 Objects Included. 
 
 3. In furnishing these yearly estimates, the Mis¬ 
 sions are expected and requested to include in them 
 only such objects as are indispensable to the mainte¬ 
 nance of the actual work of the Mission in a condition 
 of proper efficiency. These estimates, when approved, 
 and the amounts appropriated by the Board, will gov¬ 
 ern the expenditure of the year, and must not be 
 exceeded. 
 
Additional Ustinia tvs. 
 
 4. In addition to the regular estimates, the Mis¬ 
 sions are authorized and requested to accompany them 
 with a statement of such other objects, with their esti¬ 
 mated cost, and in the order of their importance, as 
 may seem to them most pressing and necessary for the 
 further development of their work—these statements 
 to form the basis of such additional appropriations as 
 the Board may, from time to time, be able to make. 
 
 Special Objects. 
 
 5. When gifts are received and applied to items of 
 work in either of the Missions, outside of the appro¬ 
 priations, and such items of work are to be continued 
 from year to year, they shall be included in the Mission 
 Estimates after the year for which payment for them 
 began to be made, except in such cases as the Execu¬ 
 tive Committee may otherwise provide. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Financial. 
 
 Drafts. 
 
 1. In general, drafts upon the Treasurer of the 
 Board by individual missionaries, are not desirable. 
 If any missionary wishes to remit to this country in 
 payment of bills for goods ordered or for other pur¬ 
 poses, he is required to do so, except where impossible, 
 by means of the Mission Treasurer’s drafts upon the 
 Treasurer of the Board. 
 
 Immediate notice of such drafts, their dates, 
 amounts, and the parties in whose favor they are 
 drawn, should be sent by the Mission Treasurer to the 
 Treasurer of the Board. 
 
 38 
 
Property Owned or Leased. 
 
 2. Real estate shall not be purchased or leased by 
 a Mission, or any member of any Mission for the 
 account of the same, without the express permission 
 of the Committee previously obtained, and all property 
 so acquired shall be held in trust for, or in the name 
 of, the Board of Foreign Missions of the Reformed 
 Church in America. 
 
 In countries where this is not possible, all prop¬ 
 erties shall be held in such manner, approved by the 
 Board, as shall secure to the Board their rightful pos¬ 
 session in accordance with the laws of the country 
 in which they are held. 
 
 No such property shall be sold, leased or otherwise 
 disposed of, nor shall any lease be surrendered before 
 the time of its expiration, without the consent of the 
 Committee. The date of the expiration of every such 
 lease should be notified to the Board at least six months 
 in advance. 
 
 Specia l A ppropria tions. 
 
 3. When special appropriations are made, or the 
 collection of special funds is authorized by the Board, 
 for buildings or other purposes, the amounts thus 
 appropriated or collected (unless otherwise specifically 
 directed by the Board) are in all cases to be held bv 
 the Mission and expended only under its direction, in 
 the same manner as the general appropriations. No 
 expenditure is to be incurred, and no contracts for such 
 expenditure concluded, until the final plans, terms of 
 contract and ultimate cost of the operations proposed 
 have been submitted to and approved by the Mission. 
 
 39 
 
Custody of Funds. 
 
 4. It is desired that money placed in the hands of 
 a missionary of the Board, which is not a gift to him 
 personally but is intended for missionary purposes,, 
 either for current work or for purchase of land, or 
 the construction or repair of buildings, shall not be 
 retained or deposited in bank by him, but shall be 
 deposited with the Treasurer of the Board, or with his 
 Mission Treasurer, until needed for immediate expen¬ 
 diture ; for the reason that, while the Board might 
 not always be held legally responsible for a gift of 
 money so placed in the hands of a missionary, it would 
 be quite liable to be held morally and equitably respon¬ 
 sible for it in the minds of the donors. 
 
 Reports from Schools, Hospitals, Etc. 
 
 5. Each missionary conducting boarding schools, 
 hospitals and similar missionary operations in connec¬ 
 tion with our Missions, shall give to the Mission Treas¬ 
 urer a yearly account of all money received from any 
 source and expended for such operations, a copy of 
 which account shall be forwarded to the Board. 
 
 Appropriations Lapse. 
 
 6. All appropriations lapse at the close of the year 
 for which they are made. All unexpended balances 
 should be placed to the credit of the Board, and applied 
 to the appropriations for the new year. But in the 
 case of buildings or other special work actually in 
 progress,, and which of necessity cannot be completed 
 by the close of the year, the amount appropriated for 
 their completion may be reserved for that purpose 
 and reported to the Board. 
 
 40 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Mission Treasurer. 
 
 Books. 
 
 1. The Treasurer shall keep, in official books pro¬ 
 cured at Mission expense and to be the property of the 
 Board, clear and correct accounts of all receipts and 
 payments, and have vouchers for the latter; his books 
 must be open to the inspection of other members of 
 the Mission, or any one of them, at any time; and his 
 accounts must be audited by a committee of two 
 members appointed each year for this purpose. 
 
 Yea rly Reports. 
 
 2. He shall forward to the Committee, at the close 
 of each year, a detailed report, to December 31, of all 
 cash received from every source, drafts drawn, and all 
 payments; the amount of all special funds held by the 
 
 Mission, from whatever source received and for what- 
 
 • 
 
 ever purpose held, and all drafts or Letters of Credit 
 in his hands, duly audited by a Committee appointed 
 for the purpose. In case a deficit is reported, a brief 
 and clear statement of the reasons for it and the parties 
 to whom it is owing, should accompany the Report. 
 
 Appropriations Must Xot Be Exceeded. 
 
 3. The Treasurer will on no account be permitted 
 to exceed in expenditure the amount annually appro¬ 
 priated for the support of the Mission, except in im¬ 
 perative circumstances, and then only with the consent 
 of the Mission, and subject to the final judgment of the 
 Executive Committee. When such excess can be 
 plainly anticipated, the fact should at once be notified 
 to the Board. 
 
 41 
 
Loans and Trust Lunds. 
 
 4. No funds of the Board shall be loaned to out¬ 
 side parties, nor shall any funds belonging to outside 
 parties be received by any Mission Treasurer in trust 
 or on deposit. 
 
 j Return of Missionaries. 
 
 5. When missionaries return from the field to this 
 country, the Treasurer shall report immediately on 
 their departure, the following items to the Board: 
 
 a. The term to which the salaries of such mis¬ 
 sionaries have been paid on the field. 
 
 b. The amount of money furnished them for the 
 journey, for which account is to be made to the 
 Board on arrival in this country. 
 
 c. Whether this amount includes the special 
 allowance for the journey, as provided- in the 
 Manual, section 6, page 29. 
 
 6. Any change of Treasurer shall be at once 
 cabled to the Board. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Correspondence and Reports. 
 
 Monthly Letter. 
 
 1. In all Missions a letter should be sent to the 
 Board once a month, either by the Secretary or some 
 other person appointed for the purpose, giving news 
 of the missionary work, that the Board may be kept 
 constantly and fully informed of its state and progress. 
 
 Annual Report. 
 
 2. Each Mission shall prepare an annual report 
 which shall give, in as brief and clear a manner as 
 possible, a view of the work in the entire field during 
 
 42 
 
the year. It should present, in tabular statement, the 
 number and names of. stations and out-stations, 
 churches, schools (Sunday, day and boarding), the 
 number of baptisms during the year, of communicants, 
 received on confession and letter, dismissions and total 
 in communion, scholars (distinguishing between board¬ 
 ing, day and Sunday scholars, male and female) with 
 a list of the missionaries and associate missionaries at 
 each station, and such other items of information as 
 may be deemed valuable. 
 
 3. In order to secure uniformity in the Mission 
 Report, each Mission is requested to appoint annually 
 a committee to whom all individual and station reports 
 of work done during the year shall be submitted, and 
 by whom a revised and condensed report, based upon 
 these, covering the whole field and embracing such 
 other matters pertaining to the interests of the Mission 
 as may properly claim their attention, shall be pre¬ 
 pared. This report, when presented to and approved 
 by the Mission, shall be forwarded to the Board, and 
 should, in all cases, be sent so as to reach the Board 
 not later than March 15. 
 
 For Publication. 
 
 4. In the publication of'all matters relating to the 
 policy of the Board, or the raising and distributing of 
 funds, such publications, or communications intended 
 for publication, should first be submitted to the Execu¬ 
 tive Committee. 
 
 This is not designed to interfere with, or to restrict, 
 free and frequent communication to the periodicals of 
 the Church, without submission to the Committee, of 
 such matters of general interest and information as 
 are likely to increase the knowledge and interest of the 
 members of our Churches in the work of the Missions. 
 
 43 
 
INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 
 Accounts, Mission : audited on the 
 field, 41; custody of funds, 40. 
 
 Additional estimates, 38. 
 
 Allowances: for Children, 32; for 
 house-rent, 22; at home, 29. 
 
 Annual Reports, 42; time of mail¬ 
 ing, 43 - 
 
 Appeal : right of, 36 ; procedure, 36. 
 
 Application: for appointment, 11; 
 blank forms for, ir ; time of, 12; 
 addressed to Cor. Sec., 11; of 
 wives or fiancees, 12; for spe¬ 
 cial grants or funds, 24. 
 
 Appointees: designation of, 22, 23. 
 
 Appointment of Missionaries: in 
 the hands of Executive Commi|- 
 tee, S; may be recalled, 6. 
 
 Appropriations: additional, 6; spe¬ 
 cial, 39; must not be exceeded, 
 41; lapse, 40. 
 
 Arabian Mission, 4. 
 
 Arrival on the Field, 21. 
 
 Associate Missionaries, 17, 34. 
 
 Authority, ecclesiastical: Board 
 has no, 5. 
 
 B. 
 
 Bills, Medical: at home, 30; on 
 the field, 25. 
 
 Blanks, Application, 11. 
 
 Boards : Foreign Missions, 4, 5 , 
 Woman’s, 6; Arabian Mission, 4. 
 
 Books of Mission Treasurer: See 
 Mission Treasurer. 
 
 C. 
 
 Call: in emergency or for partic¬ 
 ular service, 6. 
 
 Candidates: Qualifications of, 8; 
 Testimonials,'12; time for mak¬ 
 ing application, 12; interview 
 with Exec. Com., 14; assign¬ 
 ment of field, 5; employment 
 of, 16. 
 
 Change of Mission Treasurer to 
 be cabled to Board, 42. 
 
 Children of Missionaries: allow¬ 
 ances for, abroad, 32; at home, 
 33 ; of deceased missionaries, 33; 
 desiring to. return as mission¬ 
 aries, 31. 
 
 Church Membership, 15. 
 
 Comity, 35. 
 
 Contracts for limited service, 15. 
 
 Correspondence: individual, 23; 
 monthly, 42; for publication, 43. 
 
 Course of study for new mission¬ 
 aries, 35. 
 
 Custody of funds, 40. 
 
 D. 
 
 Debts of Candidates: Board as¬ 
 sumes no obligation for, 14. 
 
 Disabled missionaries, 32. 
 
 Dismissal (recall) of missionaries, 
 27 - 
 
 Donations for special objects, 25; 
 not to be solicited without the 
 approval of the Mission and the 
 Board, 24; continuous gifts to 
 
 44 
 
be included in Estimates, 38. 
 
 Drafts of Mission Treasurer, 38. 
 
 Duties on goods of missionaries, 
 
 21, 31. 
 
 E. 
 
 Ecclesiastical Authority: Board 
 has none, 5. 
 
 Employment, outside the Mission, 
 24 - 
 
 Estimates: annual, 37; station, 37; 
 additional, 38. 
 
 Evangelistic Missionary, 10. 
 
 Examinations, language, 23, 35. 
 
 Executive Committee: has power 
 of appointment and recall, 5; 
 interview with candidates, 14. 
 
 Expenses, traveling, 20, 29, 30. 
 
 F. 
 
 Financial: See Treasurer, Mission 
 Treasurer, Accounts, Appro¬ 
 priations, etc. 
 
 Freight: allowance, outgoing, 20; 
 returning, on furlough, 29; to 
 the field, 31. 
 
 Funds: Custody of, 40; Trust, 42. 
 
 Furloughs : frequency, 27; length, 
 29; return of goods to United 
 States, 29; financial statement 
 before, 42; home allowance, 29; 
 return to the field, 30; medical 
 certificate before return, 31; to 
 missionaries of Woman’s Board, 
 7; to medical women, 28; mis¬ 
 sionaries at home employed as 
 agents, 17. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gifts for special objects. See Do¬ 
 nations. 
 
 Governments: relation to, 35. 
 
 Grants: Outfit, 19; refit, 31; for 
 surgical instruments, 20. 
 
 H. 
 
 Health: a necessary qualification 
 for service, 13; to be cared for 
 on the field, 27; medical certifi¬ 
 cate required .in case of failure, 
 29 - 
 
 Home allowances, 29. 
 
 Houses: provided in addition to 
 salary, 22; house-rent, 22; na¬ 
 tive houses, 22. 
 
 I. 
 
 Incorporation: of the Board, 4; 
 the Woman’s Board, 4; the Ara¬ 
 bian Mission, 4. 
 
 Intellectual qualifications of a mis¬ 
 sionary, 9. 
 
 Interviews with Candidates, 14. 
 
 J- 
 
 Journey: to the field, 20; home¬ 
 ward, 29. 
 
 L. 
 
 Language study: first duty, 23; 
 course provided, 35; examina¬ 
 tions, 35. 
 
 Language teachers: allowance for, 
 23 - 
 
 Loans and Trust Funds, 42. 
 
 M. 
 
 Medical bills: on the field, 25; 
 at home, 30. 
 
 Medical certificate: of candidate, 
 13; of missionary invalided 
 home, 29; before return to the 
 field, 31. 
 
 45 
 
Medical examination required, 14. 
 
 Medical missionaries: qualifica¬ 
 tions, 105 work, 24. 
 
 Meetings of Missions: See Mis¬ 
 sions. 
 
 Missionaries: definition, 17; qual¬ 
 ifications, 8; selection and ap¬ 
 pointment of, 5; care of dis¬ 
 abled, 32; self-supporting sub¬ 
 ject to same rules, 26. 
 
 Missions : organization and powers 
 of, 33; meetings, 34; rules, 34; 
 qualification of voting members, 
 34 - 
 
 Mission Treasurer: books,'41; ac¬ 
 counts to be audited, 41; yearly 
 reports, 41; report when mis¬ 
 sionaries return to this country, 
 42; change of, to be cabled to 
 Board, 42. 
 
 O. 
 
 Official appointments, 35. 
 
 Ordering goods from America, 
 26; by individuals, 26; for mis¬ 
 sion institutions, 26. 
 
 Ordination of missionaries, 15. 
 
 Organization of Missions. See 
 Missions. 
 
 Orphan children of missionaries, 
 33 - 
 
 Other Bodies: Missionaries from, 
 15; Friendly relations with 
 (comity), 35. 
 
 Outfit: allowance for, 18; surgical, 
 20; return of, 15, 20; directions 
 for packing, etc., 18; reserve 
 part for use on the field, 19; to 
 be provided by family or friends 
 if possible, 19. 
 
 Outside employment of mission¬ 
 aries, 24. 
 
 P. 
 
 Packing of Goods: See Outfit. 
 
 Passage: expenses paid by direct 
 route, 20; deviation from, at 
 cost of missionary, 20; port of 
 embarkation, 21. 
 
 Pensions: not granted, 32. 
 
 Personal correspondence, 23. 
 
 Personal interview with Executive 
 Committee: required, 14; may 
 be waived, 14. 
 
 Property, Mission: consent of 
 Board to purchase or lease, nec¬ 
 essary, 39; title to, how held, 39; 
 not to be sold or surrendered 
 without permission, 39. 
 
 Publication: writing for, 43. 
 
 Purchase of Goods: See Order¬ 
 ing of Goods. 
 
 Q. 
 
 Qualifications of Missionaries: 
 general, 8; special, 9. 
 
 0 
 
 R. 
 
 Recall or Dismiss, Right to: on 
 part of Executive Committee, 27. 
 
 Reduction of Estimates: Woman’s 
 Board will share, 7. 
 
 Refit allowance, 31. , 
 
 Relation to Governments, 35. 
 
 Remittances to Missionaries, 26. 
 
 Remunerative employments, 24. 
 
 Reports: Annual, of Mission, 42; 
 of Mission Treasurer, 41; fron 
 schools, hospitals, etc., 41. 
 
 Retirement from service, 31. 
 
 Return of Missionaries: to this 
 
 46 
 
country. See Furloughs; for 
 special reasons, 28; to the field, 
 30 . 
 
 Right of Appeal: See Appeals. 
 
 Rules, of Missions: must conform 
 to the' Manual, 34; copies to be 
 sent to the Board, 35. 
 
 S. 
 
 Salaries, 22. 
 
 Self-supporting missionaries: sub¬ 
 ject to same rules as others, 26. 
 
 Shipping of goods: See Outfit; 
 for missionaries in the field, 26. 
 
 Single women: Applications from, 
 13; qualifications of, 10; salary, 
 22. 
 
 Special Appropriations, 39. 
 
 Special causes for return to Amer 
 ica, 28. 
 
 Special grant to medical mission 
 aries, 20; for children, on appli¬ 
 cation, 33. 
 
 T. 
 
 Term of Service: ordinarily foi 
 
 life, 15; special contracts for 
 limited term, 15; before or be¬ 
 tween furloughs, 28. 
 
 Testimonials, 12. 
 
 Time for making application foi 
 appointment, 12. 
 
 Treasurer, Mission: See Mission 
 Treasurer. 
 
 Trust Funds: not to be accepted 
 by Mission Treasurer, 42. 
 
 V. 
 
 Vacations on the Field, 27. 
 
 Valuation of goods for shipment, 
 18. 
 
 Voting powers: of Missionaries 
 and Associate Missionaries, 34. 
 
 W. 
 
 Widows of Missionaries, 32. 
 
 Wives, actual or intended: Appli 
 cations of, 12. 
 
 Woman’s Board: Organization 
 and Incorporation, - 4; relations 
 with Synod’s Board,, 6. 
 
 47 
 
Press °f 
 (^Kauneey Aolt 
 New York. 
 
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