nds and lots, $50,000.
Having rooms, 23.
Having gymnasiums, 8.
Annual expenses, about $65,000.

This is only a beginning. This work for young men is far too important
to remain within such limits. Every town in the Commonwealth of seven
thousand inhabitants should have a fully equipped association. Some
smaller towns already have.

My excuse for this sketch is: first, the importance of the subject;
second, the ignorance concerning it of a large portion of the Christian
community; third, that the blessings of the work and its support may be
shared by far greater numbers; and, lastly, that the courtesy of the
editors of The Bay State Monthly afforded altogether too good an
opportunity for making this work known, to be lost.

* * * * *

TOWN AND CITY HISTORIES.

BY ROBERT LUCE.

The United States government has now in press two volumes of the census
of 1880, entitled The Social Statistics of Cities. These statistics have
been in process of preparation for some four years, under direction of
Colonel George E. Waring, jr., the eminent sanitary engineer, of
Newport, Rhode Island. They will fill two large quarto volumes of
something over six hundred pages each; and as each page will average
over one thousand words, it will be seen that the work will, at least,
be massive and imposing, like most government publications. Unlike many
of these, however, it will not be dull, unintelligible, or valueless.
The fact that one half of it is devoted to the history of the cities of
our land is well-nigh sufficient proof that these epithets cannot be
applied to it, and the question is settled beyond a doubt when it is
learned that the greater part of the labor has been performed by people
who are well known in the literary world, and who brought to their task
experience and ability,--rare qualifications to be found combined in
government employees. Colonel Waring himself, though a clear thinker and
good writer, furnished comparatively little manuscript to the volumes,
but he has revised them thoroughly, and has stamped them with his
individuality.

It was Colonel Waring's original design to embrace in his work the
statistics of the twenty largest cities of the country, and these
happened to be the cities that in 1880 had more than one hundred
thousand inhabitants. Then it was decided to allow the smaller cities to
be represented if they chose, and early in the work steps were taken to
induce them