PARAGUAY

[s. 588] : A republic in South America, situated between 22° and 27° 35’ south latitude, and 54° 35’ and 61° 40’ west longitude, southwest of Brazil and northeast of the Argentine Republic. Area, 91,970 square miles. The country general consists of a series of plateaus with wooded slopes and gra y plains. The climate is very fine, tho at times the heat is exce ive. The m mean temperature summer 81°. for winter is 71°, and for According to the Constitution of November, 1870, the government consists of a president, a Congre of two Houses, a Senate, and a House of Deputies. The senators and deputies 670 are elected directly by the people, and the president holds office for four years. The population (1899) is 530,103, besides 100,000 partly civilized Indians. There are twice as many females as males. The prevailing language is Spanish, but large numbers speak the Guarani; the mixture of Indian blood is stronger in Paraguay than in other states. The principal cities are As unci on (45,000), the growing in population and imcapital, rapidly portance; (Joncepcion (15,000), San Pedro (8,000). One-third of the inhabitants live in the central districts, containing the capital; one-third in the of Villa Rica and Cuasapa, and the remainder in the cultivated portion of the coundistricts try. the Agriculture and the raising of cattle are principal occupations of the people, and Spanish, and German colonists are developing its resources in both these directions. Railway, telegraph and telephone lines are in operation. The Roman Catholic is the established religion of the state, but other religions are tolerated. Education is free and compulsory. The Protestant Societies located in Paraguay are the South American Mi ionary Society and the Mi ionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States. The republic is open to Gospel influences, and the prospect of Christian mi ions is bright. PARAMARIBO Chief town of Surinam, South America, situated near the mouth of the Surinam Population, 31,000. In the year 1835 River. the first Moravian mi ionaries Ian dedin Surinam. The object was at first to commence a mi ion in Berbice, making Paramaribo the headquarters. Here a company of five Brethren worked at their trades in order to support themselves and the mi ion in Berbice. Their attention was soon directed to the negroes in Paramaribo. At first they had to face a good deal of opposition, but they gradually overcame ill-grounded prejudice, and were permitted to purchase a piece of land in For a considerable time their misthe town. sionary work continued very limited, but gradually it expanded, and Paramaribo became endowed with a vigorous negro Christian church, which has five separate places of worship in the city, the branches being Rusten Vrede, Wanica, Combe, and Saron. The Moravian Mi ion Society has here (1903) 21 mi ionaries, 19 women mi ionaries, 5 places of worship, 4 Sunday Italian,: schools, 3 day schools, 1 kindergarten, and 3,098 Station also of the SDA profe ed Christians. (1887), with 1 mi ionary, 3 native workers, and 10 profe ed Christians. The auxiliary International Medical and Benevolent A ociation also maintains (1901) 1 mi ionary here. 588