THE Conductors of the PANOPLIST and MISSIONARY MAGAZINE are desirous, that this annual address should not degenerate into repetition or formality. For the principles by which our work is to be regulated, and the prominent designs which we wish to see accomplished, our readers are referred to our preceding addresses of this kind; and particularly to that which opened our last volume. The varying circumstances of the times will always make it necessary, however, to state, at the commencement of each volume, some of the principal objects which will claim our attention.

All persons who have taken an interest in periodical publications, and especially all editors and their assistants, must have perceived the extreme difficulty of conducting a work of this kind,in such a manner as to suit the various tastes of men, who have received different educations, been engaged in different pursuits, and are accustomed to different habits of thinking, feeling, and acting. It is curious to observe the discordant objections which have been confidently urged against the ablest and best foreign Magazines. The same causes operate in this country, as in every other, to produce the same diversity of wishes and expectations. It is with reason, therefore, that we call upon the candor of our readers to make such allowances for what they would denominate minor defects, as will permit them to derive instruction and profit from those parts of our work which they entirely approve. We cannot but think that, with respect to the management of a religious Magazine, there are several points of agreement, in which all the friends of Christianity may cordially unite. Religious intelligence, for instance, embracing the most remarkable events which relate to the prosperity of the kingdom of Christ, must be pleasing to all who have the interests of this kingdom at heart. The same may be said of all that portion of matter which exhibits, in a manner generally intelligible, any of the great truths of the Gospel; which exemplifies and enforces the duties of charity and beneficence; and which, in short, tends to make men better members of families, of society, and of the Church on earth, and to prepare them for heaven. Admitting that a particular discussion may be too learned for some, and not learned enough for others; that some pieces may be too long and others too short; and that a scrutinizing eye may discover ever so many cases of possible improvement; still, if the tendency of a work is salutary on the whole; if the work is free from radical error, and productive of VOL. IV. New Series.

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positive utility; has it not a fair claim to be ranked among laudable enterprises, and to receive the patronage of the wise and good? It is needless to say, that we have no hope of satisfying any man, who considers himself entitled to demand, that every article inserted in our pages shall be very interesting, entirely new, and exactly suited to his taste and prepossessions. Nor can we look with much confidence for the approbation of those, who, without any knowledge of the difficulties of our undertaking, and with very little acquaintance with the religious or literary state of the country, undertake to condemn, in the most peremptory terms, every thing which does not correspond with their preconceived opinions. To the truly candid and liberal we appeal; and by their deliberate judgment we wish our labors to be estimated. If there are any who consider our past volumes as disseminating fundamentally erroneous views of religion or morality, or as violating the bonds of Christian charity, we cannot expect or desire their support or co-operation, while they remain of this opinion. Those, on the other hand, who regard our exertions with a favorable eye, and do not hesitate to pronounce our work a useful auxiliary to the cause of truth and virtue, will see the propriety of affording us all the countenance and patronage in their power.

We are not ignorant, that a very large, and, on account of their piety, a very worthy class of our readers, would wish that no article, which has any pretensions to learning, should ever be admitted into a Magazine designed for general improvement. But are these

persons aware of the serious evils which would result from keeping every department of such a publication down to the level of their standard? Is it not as much as they can reasonably ask, if the great majority of pieces are calculated to be useful to all persons who will read them seriously, and if no paper is admitted which is not capable of affording valuable knowledge to a plain English reader, of enlarged views, even though he should not understand every allusion, or feel the force of every argument? Will it not satisfy those whom we are addressing to be told, that men, in whose opinions they would repose great confidence, were it proper to name them; men who have the interests of religion as much at heart as any of their brethren; men who are thoroughly acquainted with the wants and the dangers of our country, have repeatedly and earnestly assured us, that our work cannot be what New England demands, unless it aspires to a respectable literary character?

Let us not, however, be misunderstood. We wish the body of our work to be composed of plain appeals to the understanding, the conscience, and the heart, on the great concerns of the soul; of the dictates of good sense, under the direction of piety, applied to such subjects as schools, charitable institutions, and all the benevolent efforts which adorn and elevate the human character; of such literary notices as will be likely to promote religious and other useful reading; and of such a compilation of religious intelligence as will gladden the hearts, and animate the prayers, of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.