The Committee on Ways and Means reported the estimated annual budget to be raised by taxation for the year 1881-2 as follows for school purposes in this city:

The Gilbert fund referred to in these figures was a donation of $2,000 made by T. D. Gilbert to the schools in 1860, the annual interest to be used for the purchase of mechanical instruments necessary in scientific study.

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CITY LIBRARY.

The annual report of City Librarian Mrs. A. Putnam, for the year ending Oct. 1, 1880, shows the condition of the public library:

No. of vols. in library, including pub. docs...

Books worn out during year...

Average monthly circulation... 5,212

Travels

Polygraphy.

Average weekly circulation..

1,303

Fiction..

.35,364

Present circulation....

1,700

Juvenile...

.13,687

Cards issued during year..

991

62,552

$134 50

Sociology

453

Expended from same (see

Philology

140

monthly report)......

85 80

Natural Science.

767

The library is the pride of the citizens. There were added 1,590 volumes during the year 1881, making a total now in the library of 11,952 volumes; from this number 366 volumes were discarded. To these any citizen has free access. Much of its prosperity and usefulness is justly attributed to the library committee, as well as to the librarian and her assistants.

THE BAPTIST CHURCH.

The history of the Baptist Church of Grand Rapids is singularly connected with that of the American settlement of this valley. In an inquiry into the history of this society, the sketch prepared by Rev. S. Graves, D.D., has been selected. He says:

As early as 1822 a mission was located here among the Ottawa tribe of Indians, which bore the name of the "Thomas Station," in honor of one of the early English Baptist missionaries to India. Little, however, was done in the way of missionary work until 1826, when Rev. Mr. McCoy came here and organized a school of 25 pupils. Soon after this, Rev. Leonard Slater, a laborious, devoted and patient Christian worker, took charge of the mission. In 1832 a Church was formed among the Indians. The school and church were located on the west bank of the Grand river, a few rods south of Bridge street. The Church numbered 25 or 30. Among these was the chief of the tribe, Noon-Day by name, a man of sound judgment and great force of character, an earnest and most exemplary Christian after his conversion. Judge Davis has left the following interesting memorandum of things as they were at this time:

"The Baptist station consisted of two or three block-houses, a school-house near what is now Bridge street. At the foot of the rapids were 12 or 15 Indian board houses, a good-sized meetinghouse. The Indians connected with the mission owned a saw-mill at the head of the rapids. The Church contained 25 members. The head chief of the tribe, Noon-Day, was an eminent Christian, who delighted in religious exercises, speaking with great force, concluding, often, by saying he was weak and ignorant, knew but little, therefore he should say no more.

In 1836 the mission and Indians were removed to Gull Prairie. The next year after their removal, 1837, the first Baptist Church was organized in Grand Rapids, composed of immigrants to the Territory. It was gathered by the efforts of Rev. S. D. Wooster, and contained seven members. Their names should be preserved: Dea. Henry Stone, Thomas Davis, Ezekiel W. Davis, Abram Randall and wife, Zelotes Bemis and Mr. Streeter, all of whom have passed away. Mr. Wooster remained with the Church but a short time, and for the next four or five years they were without a pastor. Several of the members moved away, and the Church virtually became extinct.

In 1842 Rev. T. Z. R. Jones was sent into this part of this State by the American Baptist Home Missionary Society, and the Church was resuscitated. Mr. Jones remained only two or three years, making Grand Rapids his headquarters and preaching in the towns and settlements about, when he left, and the Church was again without a pastor. And so the Church struggled along, few in numbers, weak in resources, "cast down, but not destroyed." They met for worship sometimes in private houses,—for awhile in the old court-house, which stood in the park, in the school-house on Prospect Hill, and again in an upper room in the National Hotel, which stood where the Morton House now stands. In Judge E. W. Davis they found a natural leader, who did much to keep up their meetings and their courage, and whose Sabbath exhortations supplied the place of preaching.

About this time a lot was purchased on the West Side, as a site for a church edifice, and materials were collected for building it. But the Church was not able to procure a title to the property, and so the project failed. The Church was supplied at different times by Rev. F. L. Batchelder, who organized a Church at Indian creek, now the Alpine and Walker Church. This took a number of members from the Grand Rapids Church, and much weakened it.

In 1848 the Church purchased the old Episcopal house of worship, which stood at the corner of Bronson and North Division streets, where now stands the residence of Julius Berkey. The building itself is the blacksmith shop which now stands on the corner of Park and Division streets. About the same time that this purchase was made, the Church called Rev. C. A. Jennison to be its pastor. He was a young man of promise, devout in spirit

M

and cultured in mind, and a time of brighter and better things seemed now to be opening for the Church. But Mr. Jennison's health soon failed him. He was obliged to resign, and soon after died. He was followed in 1849 by Rev. A. J. Bingham as pastor. He was an earnest preacher, a faithful pastor, a man of sweet and Christly spirit, and of blessed memory. He remained only two years, and in his turn was followed by Rev. Francis Prescott, a man of most unselfish life and missionary zeal, whose stay with the Church as its pastor was about the usual two years, and who did good and telling service for the Master on other fields till called suddenly to his reward.

In 1856 Rev. L. M. Woodruff became pastor. At his suggestion the Church was disbanded, for the purpose of a somewhat different organization, and the Tabernacle Church was formed. This led to a division of interests, to separation, and the reorgani zation of the First Church, and to general dissensions, which unhappily greatly discouraged as they greatly weakened the Baptist cause. After Mr. Woodruff resigned, the Tabernacle Church called Rev. S. F. Holt to become its pastor, a man energetic in character and of much force and ability as a preacher. The First Church was statedly supplied by Rev. Abel Bingham, father of Rev. A. J. Bingham, a man whose fidelity and spirit of sacrifice had been long and well tested in missionary work at the Sault Ste. Marie, and who died here, honored and full of years, whose children and grandchildren are here to-day, and whose remains rest in the cemetery. A short time before Mr. Holt's resignation, which took place in 1860, the two Churches came together, and Mr. H. was pastor of the Church as united.

In 1861 the Second Church was formed, and Rev. C. C. Miller, A. Stanwood and others, supplied the pulpit until May, 1863, when Rev. C. B. Smith, D.D., was called to be its pastor, a man of power.

Rev. Messrs. Bingham and Fay continued to supply the First Church until 1862, when Rev. Peter Van Winkle became its pastor. It was during the pastorates of Dr. Smith and Mr. Van Winkle that the Churches each built houses of worship; the First church, a brick structure on the site of the present house of worship, and the Second church on Division street. Both these pastors were very earnest men and did their work with a will that did much to inspire both the Churches in their undertakings. During the pastorate of Mr. Van Winkle the Church in Paris was formed, from members of the First Church.

In January, 1867, Dr. Smith resigned and Rev. Nathan A. Reed was called to the pastorate of the Church, who entered upon his duties in the following May.

Following Mr. Van Winkle, the First Church called Rev. Isaac Butterfield, in April, 1867. He is a man whom most of you know and love for his genuine worth, his candor as a man and his ability as a preacher. These two, Butterfield and Reed, worked heartily together and did much in laying the foundations on which the sub