extent it may be expected to aid in the general work of the Church. 10. Any additional facts and circumstances that will assist the Board to a proper decision on the application.

1305. Every such application for aid shall be first submitted to the Conference Board of Church Extension, and said Board shall certify its action thereon to the Parent Board, and aid shall be granted only by the concurrent action of both the Conference and Parent Boards, and. except in cases of great emergency, within the amount authorized by the General Committee: provided, however, that for the procurement of property in mission territory the Parent Board may appropriate funds specially authorized by the General Committee without such application or recommendation by a Conference Board; but in all such cases the title to such property should vest in the Board of Church Extension.

¶ 306. It shall be the duty of each Presiding Elder to bring the subject of Church Extension before the Quarterly Conference of each Circuit and Station within his District at the last Quarterly Conference in each year; and said Quar

terly Conference shall appoint a Committee of not less than three nor more than five, of which the Preacher in Charge shall be Chairman, to be called the Committee on Church Extension, whose duty it shall be to aid the Preacher in Charge in carrying into effect the provisions of the Discipline and plans of the Boards for the support of this cause, and in securing at least the amount asked of the Circuit or Station for its aid; and the Presiding Elder shall inquire, in the third Quarterly Conference of each year, what has been done for this cause, and whether the amount asked has been received, and if not, he shall urgently request the Preacher in Charge and the Quarterly Conference to take such measures as will secure it before the close of the year.

T 30%. It shall be the duty of the Preacher in Charge, aided by the Committee on Church Extension, to provide for the diffusion of information concerning the work and wants of the Board of Church Extension; he shall preach, or cause to be preached, a sermon on this subject in each congregation in every year, and solicit contributions from each, endeavoring to secure at least the amount

asked as above provided; and shall at each Conference report the amount asked, and the amount received, for Church Extension. He shall also invite special contributions and bequests to the Loan Fund.

Freedmen's Aid.

1308. For the mental and moral elevation of Freedmen and others in the South who have special claims upon the Christian people of America:

:

§ 1. Let all our people contribute liberally each year for the support of our Freedmen's Aid Society.

§ 2. Let the Freedmen's Aid Society be careful to locate its schools where they will be of most advantage to our Churches and Missions, and especially seek to educate those persons who are called to preach, or who propose to become preachers; and let only those persons be employed as teachers who will conscientiously work in our Sundayschools, and cheerfully co-operate with our ministers.

¶ 309. The Board of Managers shall determine what amount shall be expended annually in this work, and apportion

the same, according to their best judgment, among the several Annual Conferences; and each Annual Conference shall apportion, or cause to be apportioned, the amount assigned to it among the Circuits and Stations within its bounds; and each Presiding Elder, as early in the Conference year as possible, shall inform each Quarterly Conference in his District of the amount to be raised by the Charge it represents.

T310. It shall be the duty of each Preacher in Charge to present this subject to his congregation, or cause it to be presented, once each year in a sermon or address; to aid in the diffusion of intelligence in regard to the work of the Society and the wants of the Freedmen, and to use due diligence to collect the amount apportioned to his Charge. He shall report to the Annual Conference the sum collected, and the collections shall be published in a column in the General Minutes and in the Minutes of the Annual Conferences.

T 311. The Corresponding Secretary, if a Traveling Preacher, shall be a member of such Annual Conference as he, with the approbation of the Bishops, may select.

Circulation of Religious Tracts.

1 312. It is recommended to our people every-where to form Tract Societies, auxiliary to the Tract Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

T 313. It is recommended to Preachers in Charge to make annually, in their several congregations, collections in behalf of the Tract Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

¶ 314. It shall be the duty of cach Presiding Elder to bring the Tract cause before the last Quarterly Meeting Conference of each year, in each Circuit and Station within his District; and said Conference shall appoint a Committee whose duty it shall be to devise and execute plans for local tract distribution.

Printing and Circulating Books, Tracts, and Periodicals.

1 315. The principal Publishing Houses of the Book Concern shall be in the cities of New York and Cincinnati; but there shall be depositories of our publications