The Wyandot Mission Church

One of the most interesting landmark in the country is situated near Upper Sandusky, ühio. It is said to be the first mission church 3f Episcopal Methodism In the world. It was built in 124 by James B. Finley, the tnissionary to the Wyandots. The money witli which it was constructed, (1,888.88, carne out of the United States treasury through the influence of John C. Calhoun, then secretary of war. It was a substaut iul building of blue limestone and oak, with walnut trimmings. Taken altogether it was raid to be a model churoh. In S42 a treaty was effected by wuich the Wyandot Indians were removed to a reservatiou west of the Mississippi, the United State government agreeing that the mission church and the ground around it containing th graves of its dead congregation should remain forever consecrated to the pui"pose for which it was originally designed. 'In order, therefore," the agreement reail, "that the object of the aforesaid reservation may be secured and carried out, we request that the Methodist Episcopal church take )Kssession tuereof and apixjint trustees over the same according tó its rules and regulations." What have tbe trastees of the church done to preserve th is most interesting relio? One of our pictures shows the condition of the chureli in 1800, frora a picture copyrighted by N. B. C. Love, and used here by permission. Our second picture is f rom a reeent photogruph, and shows what time and the element have been permitted to do with the ediflee. All visitors to Upper Sandusky go to see the ruins of the old mission, which may be snid to be the oldest monument to the work of the foreign mis8iouary society of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the remaik ír often made that a society which raises so many millions of dollars for missionary work might approprJítc a few dollars annually to the care of this relia The ehurrh, it appears, is waiting for the state to act in the matter, as Congressmen Geddes and Finley, aided by Senator Sherman, have endeavored to ohtain government aid to the extent of $G,000 to rebuild the church. A bilí appiopiiating that amount passed the house, but was swamped in the senate. Between the apathy of congicss and the neglect of the chorcb this beautiful ruin is likely to crumlile into further decay until there will not lm left even the walls for vandals to deseoriito, ax they now do with anytuing bnt Biblioal inscriptions.