Bible Class. The following Sabbath morning, April 14, 1899, the school met at the usual hour, in the Chapel of the Central Church, Rock Street, where it continued its morning sessions until it was merged into the Noon Bible School, after the death of Mr. Buck (March 9, 1903).

At the annual meeting of the Church, in April, 1899, Mr. Buck, after thirty-two years of service, tendered his resignation.

The Church passed the following resolutions, made him "missionary emeritus," also provided for a continuance of his salary, and in these words paid a beautiful tribute to his faithful service, and their appreciation of the same:

Whereas, The Reverend Edwin A. Buck, missionary of the Central Congregational Church of Fall River, has tendered, after a service of thirty-two years, his resignation of that office because of accumulated years, and because the conditions and requirements of the present mission work of the Church call for an outlay of strength which he feels to be beyond his powers at seventy-five, therefore, it is

Voted, That his resignation as missionary be and hereby is accepted, with this declaration, that in thus formally relieving him from the heavy responsibilities of the office he has so long and so successfully filled, we do but make a change in form; that we shall ever cherish the memory and example of the faithful service, and consecration to christian ideals, exhibited for an entire generation among us, in the ministrations of the Rev. Edwin A. Buck;

Voted, That we desire and intend that this ministry shall go on among us, as his strength and personal welfare shall warrant; but that he shall count himself free from obligation to render service, except in such manner, and at such times, as the strength given in his age and the promptings of his consecrated heart may direct; and to so provide, it is hereby

Voted, That the Rev. Edwin A. Buck is made "missionary emeritus" of Central Church, with salary such as the society may determine. And in further expression of our deep regard for him and his noble life of service,

Be it Resolved, That we gratefully recognize the devotion and unstinted labors of our missionary, in season and out of season; his faithfulness to every trust confided to him, in these long years of

ministry; the wise counsels given to unnumbered inquirers; the consolations to many a troubled one; his blessed ministrations in sickness and bereavement; his aid in countless good works; and his endearment to the whole community, growing with its growth and strengthening with its strength. His term of service, beginning two years before death ended the pastorate of our lamented Dr. Thurston, has compassed the pastorates of Rev. Michael Burnham, Rev. Eldridge Mix, and Rev. W. W. Jubb, and has now extended into the present pastorate of Rev. William A. Knight about as far as into that of Dr. Thurston. The children have become fathers of the Church; the departments of the Church's work and interests have multiplied; the city has grown from twenty-one thousand to a hundred thousand people; notable developments have been made in the commercial, industrial, and general community life; institutions have grown from small beginnings until they are numerous and strong; mechanics, science, and art have made wonderful transformations; but the tender spirit and sterling fidelity of our beloved missionary have not changed, save to broaden and deepen the channels of his love and devotion.

Work and Expenditures among the French in Fall River A.D. 1868-1886

1868. Distribution of Tracts and Testaments.

The French also enjoyed the full use of the Chapel, corner of

Pleasant and Sixth streets, from 1868 to 1887.

[Copy of statement made by Rev. E. A. Buck.]

Mission Work

Conducted by Miss Caroline Borden

The record of the work of the Pleasant Street Mission School and Rev. E. A. Buck, missionary, may well be supplemented by a brief narrative of the work of Miss Caroline Borden, the daughter of Col. Richard Borden. She was no inconsiderable factor in the missionary activities of those former days, and has ever retained her interest in all the history of the Mission, as the foregoing pages abundantly testify.

She did much of the early work of this school. Annually in the winter she visited all the families represented in the school, making a full record of each in members, daily occupation, attendance of children at school or work and church going more frequently non-church going. In some years the scholars of the school registered more than four hundred whom she visited. From this record she compiled semiannual reports for the Sunday-school Society.

In doing this work, Miss Borden was convinced that something more was needed to give intelligent stability among the boys of the Mission, and therefore established a Boys' Literary Club. This club continued for several years, holding weekly meetings, opened by Scripture reading. The meetings were always attended by Miss Borden, and a great variety of subjects were studied and discussed. The subsequent manhood of its members in integrity and christian character testified to the broad and permanent efficiency of the club.

At a later period, in connection with the Mission, she held on Sundays at the old Central Church, two Bible classes for men, one for the young men, and one for the older men, at both of which the morning sermon was studied. The class of young men was held at the close of the morning service, and an hour later the older men, having been supplied with light refreshments provided by their teacher, had also

their hour of Bible study before going to their distant homes. These were occasions of great interest and profit. The class of young men were entertained monthly by her in her home.

Another branch of Miss Borden's mission work was a Sundaymorning service at the City Almshouse, attended by the inmates from one to eighty years of age. In this she was greatly aided by the superintendent of the almshouse, Mr. Dean, and by his wife and daughters, who, during the week, taught the children in music and in the Bible lessons assigned. Besides the morning service, Sunday-school concerts were often held in the evening. Mr. Andrew Borden, then of the First Congregational Church, accompanied Miss Borden in this work. The City Almshouse Mission continued after Miss Borden was obliged to relinquish it.

Her four-o'clock Bible class on Sunday afternoons, on the New York steamboats, for the men employed in service there, were occasions of great interest.

While she now lives in Boston, she has continued her membership in the Central Church at Fall River. Her activities in home and foreign missionary work go zealously on. Abroad she is especially identified with the American College for Girls at Constantinople, and with the International Institute for Girls in Spain, the work of Mrs. Alice Gordon Gulick.

After the terrible massacres of the christians in Turkey, in 1895-96, her attention was especially called to the suffering and destitute Armenians. The American people had sent large amounts of money for relief, but strenuous necessity for clothing still existed.

In May, 1896, Miss Borden instituted a work for this relief, which extended over a large section of the United States, with headquarters in Boston, and which continued for several months. To this work she gave unlimited time and strength in every detail. The immediate and abundant response to appeals, made the question of transporting tons of clothing

a serious one, and Miss Borden addressed a letter to the Cunard Steamship Company at Liverpool, asking for coöperation in this philanthropy by free transportation of this clothing from Boston to Constantinople and Smyrna.

A gracious reply was quickly sent, which stated, "We have availed ourselves of this opportunity for furthering your views and good work with unfeigned pleasure, and shall always be glad of similar ones."

This work continued for ten months, in which time the Cunard Steamship Company carried nineteen tons in fulfillment of their generous promise.

The fifty-nine boxes contained about nine thousand garments of excellent quality, for men, women, and children, which at a low estimate were valued at $10,474.00, to which must be added one hundred and fifty dollars contributed for inland transportation in Turkey.

Letters of gratitude received, fully compensated for this work. Ten boxes were received at one time at Harpoot, the field of Miss Seymour, concerning which a letter said, “We put the boxes into one large building not destroyed by the Turks, and shouted 'Hallelujah,' and then began to distribute the articles to the suffering people."

In recent years, Miss Borden has been in active coöperation with others in the Armenian work in Boston, in educational, evangelistic, and benevolent enterprises, in ministries for mind, body, and soul, and in which she has been sustained and helped by leading clergymen of our denomination and many others.