The Woman's Bureau has proved a most efficient agency in our work during the past year. The family and the home where mother and sister are the strong guard of purity and moral strength, the newly-freed people knew nothing about from experience. Our missionaries, more than two-thirds of whom were women, found themselves face to face with the duty of caring for their unfortunate sisters. When the Christian women of the country were taking up and discussing the special claims of degraded and lost women for woman's special effort, and organizing societies to meet that claim, the American Missionary Association had the whole business in operation on a large and successful scale. When, therefore, the Woman's Bureau was created, it was neither to inaugurate a new work nor in imitation of other organizations. The purpose was to make the Christian women of the country more intelligently acquainted with a branch of our mission long in operation, and induce them by an increase of their contributions and sympathy and prayers to make it more widely successful. Miss D. E. Emerson, who not only by her experience as a missionary in the field, but also by her experience as a clerk in the New York office, was admirably qualified to take the Bureau in charge, was made its Secretary. She has opened direct channels of communication between the lady missionaries on the field and the Christian women of the churches. Sunday schools and ladies' missionary societies have been furnished an opportunity to assume, either wholly or partially, the support of an assigned missionary from whom they have regularly received letters. She has arranged to have addresses given upon the work at missionary meetings and conferences, either by herself or by a lady missionary, so far as she could, wherever and whenever such service has been desired. The work has been steadily growing upon her hands. The interest is widening and deepening. With no increase of machinery, with but little increase of expense, and with no divisive disturbance, either in the Association or in the churches, our Woman's Bureau quietly and effectively carries forward its operations at the North and at the South, at the East and at the West. * * * * * FINANCES. _Receipts for 1884-5._ Donations from Churches and Individuals $191,698.35 Legacies 41,501.66 U. S. Government for Indian Schools 9,458.13 Slater Fund for Industrial Training 8,600.00 Tuition, Rents, etc. 39,635.92 ----------- Total $290,894.06