* * * * * THE average attendance at the 30 conventions of the Co-operative Societies in Connecticut was 136. The number of churches represented was 230, of the 297 in the State. The average attendance of similar meetings in 1872 was 104. On the whole the recent meetings were of marked interest, and of much encouragement to the missionary work done by Congregationalists. * * * * * OUR FINANCES.—During the seven months of the fiscal year closing April 30, our receipts from collections and donations have amounted to $109,275.73. The collections and donations for the same months last year were $138,094.35, a decrease of $28,818.62. The legacies for these months last year were $23,447.81, while for this year they have been $42,121.18, an increase of $18,673.37. The total receipts thus far this year in collections, donations and legacies have been $151,396.91 against $161,542.16 for the same period last year, a decrease of $10,145.25. We earnestly urge the friends of this Association to study these figures. Our last annual meeting, in view of the pressing work before us, recommended the increase of our receipts 25 per cent. for the present fiscal year. The added expenses of our Indian work and the pressing calls for enlargement of our school and church work South, make this increase imperative—and especially as the openings before us in these lines of effort are exceedingly auspicious and encouraging. If the increase named is received, we can go forward; if not, we must leave undone what ought to be done. Under these circumstances, we ask individual donors whom God hath blessed with the means and the heart to help, to give special attention to the facts we present, and we also respectfully request pastors to bring before their people our financial necessities, so that during the next five months we may be able to go forward without debt or diminution of work. * * * * * THE CHURCH BOOK, Hymns and Tunes, for the Uses of Christian Worship, prepared by Leonard Woolsey Bacon. New York: D. Appleton & Co. Several novelties are presented by this book. The more prominent of these are (1) the typographical arrangement, which allows the hymns to go in without the usual limitations of space, (2) the number of hymns, which is less than half that usually found in books of the kind, (3) a combination of the standard tunes with the best of the English lyrical compositions. We believe there is common sense in Dr. Bacon’s idea that the church will be better served with a smaller number of the choicest hymns. As both the standard and (so called) classical tunes are selected with excellent judgment, we see no reason why the Church Book may not prove a valuable addition to the hymn-and-tune-ology of the day. The typography and binding of the book are of the best. * * * * *