Newspaper Page Text
k, TH
Contributed
OUR BRIGHT SIDE LETTER.
A Soldier Wedding.
On Monday, August 9, Mr. and Mrs.
Alexander J. Bondurant received the
congratulations of many friends on the
celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of
their wedding, in the old Bondurant
home, Variety Shade, Buckingham county,
Virginia. Of the large gathering of
kinsmen and neighbors quite the center
was the full house party of sons and
daughters and grandchildren. Golden
Rod was the appropriate house decoration.
To the music of the Wedding
March the bride and groom of fifty
years of happy married life, entered the
drawing room, followed by a train of
charming grandchildren, the eldest
granddaughter dressed in the grandmother's
wedding gown. There were
present who had been present at the
memorable wedding Miss Harriet Morrison,
sister of the bride; Dr. Thomas
Lee Bondurant, brother of the groom,
and their friend, Dr. James P. Smith. A
few verses of the Scripture were read;
Mrs. Professor Alexander C. Bondurant,
of Oxford, Miss., read a poem of congratulation
and blessing, "The Golden Harvest,"
written for the occasion by her sister,
Miss Frances Means, of Natchez.
Dr. Smith added his reminiscences of the
wedding fifty years ago at Belvue, in
Koc-hbridge, telling of the fair young
bride, of the very notable company assembled
and of his impressions of Major
Thomas J. Jackson, of the Virginia Millt
Q rv Tnollfllto
t tiiDULUVV, own C\J UC Aliunil IHIUUgll
the world as Stonewall Jackson, whom
he then saw for the first time. After expressing
for the company the affectionate
congratulations of all, present and
absent, prayer was offered for all rich
blessings through coming days and the
happy fulfillment of all gracious promises
for the wedded pair and for their
children and grandchildren.
Belvue, where Mr. and Mrs. Bondurant
were married August 9, 1859, was the
home of Mrs. Bondurant's father, the
Rev. James Morrison, pastor of New
Providence Church, and his wife, the
daughter of Mary Moore, "the captive of
Abbi Valley." Mr. Morrison himself
married his daughter, and with him were
Dr. William Brown, his brother-in-law,
then of Augusta Church, and his son-inlaw,
Dr. B. M. Smith, then of Staunton,
and Dr. Robert L. Dabney, then of Tinkling
Spring. That was a group of strong
and distinguished men, and guaranteed
a thoroughly good marriage, his to last
many years. With the venerable mother
were her daughters, Mnj. Smith and Mrs.
Dabney, and Mrs. E. E. Brown, of Augusta,
and Miss Mary Anna Jackson, of Lex
ington. It was much regretted that Mrs.
Jackson, who survives with a good share
of health and happiness in her home in
Charlotte, could not be present at the
golden wedding.
In the happiness of this large family
gathering, from homes apart in several
States of the South, there was very dis
V
E Pxvi^^/TERIAN OF THE SOU
tinct evidence of the blessing of God, ac- I
cording to the promise, upon His people
and their children. One's thoughts went
back to the godly ancestry, the mingling .
or miguenot and Scotch Irish blood and
tradition, the piety, in all her pitiful sufferings,
of the young Mary Moore, carried
away to the West by savage Indians;
the lessons and prayers of parents
"passed into the skies," the faithful
instruction and careful Christian training.
And here were the abundant fruits, ,
showing that our father's God "is not
slack concerning His promise."
The people with whom we shared the
pleasures of this golden wedding, very
much bound together by intermarriage,
have lived together in this county for
generations, very much on lands that
havp not phnnp-oH t itloa oinoo + Arlnr.
VUW VI I6
inal charters in colonial times. They are
Halls and Morelys and Ellises and Bondurants,
and their children have gone
throughout the land. Through many
years they have worshipped together,
maintaining a small church, with more
or less difficulty and frequent changes in
the pastorate, and there has seemed little
or no growth. But here is the fruit
of the vine in the sons and daughters in
many places, educated often with difficulty,'
scattered far and near, strong and
fair, pillars in their Churches, heads of
Christian families, standing stanch and
steadfast for all things right and good, in
State and pure and true in Church. And
this is true of many country Churches in
the East. They are the nurseries from
which trees are transplanted, to be flowering
and fruitful in other sections. Without
our small country Churches there
wouid he no extension in mission fields,
no growth of city Churches, and few to
enter the ministrv and to Dreach Christ
in foreign lands. The country homes
and struggling country Churches are the
seed-beds of the Kingdom. The sons
and daughters of country piety and
training go away from their homes, often
to our great regret, but they make the
Church of Christ throughout the land
and bring the golden harvest.
J. P. S.
The striking contrasts in African life
that have arisen in the past half century
are pointed out by "The Congregationalist."
A little more than half a century
ago David Livingstone was laboring
in Africa with verv slight results.
K few months ago the Llvingstonlan Presbyterian
Mission in Africa held a convention
attended by several thousand
Christian natives, who camped in booths
erected in the woods. * In a single day
more than three hundred persons were
received into the Church. At a preach-.
ing service seven thousand persons were
present. Twenty-four native teachers
offered themselves as missionaries.
Rev. Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman and ^.>aa.
M. Alexander, who are holding revival
meetings in large cities of Austria, will
probably conduct a great mission in
England next year. Initial steps are under
way for such a movement.
TH. August 25, igog.
HOME MISSIONS THE HOPE OF THE
NATION.
A CHRISTIAN home, a Christian school
and a Christian nation, through the
agency of a Chr.stian church in tho
Christian's hope and ideal. Every year it
becomes more evident that this purpose
has not been realized. Every year it becomes
more evident that Home Mission
enterprises have not received their rightful
share of the Church's thought and
sympathetic support.
Why This Failure?
The reason -is not far to seek. It is
assumed that this is a Christian land.
\\ hen evil is prophesied we recall the
religious purpose of the nation's founders,
we point to the churches and schools, to
the teachers and preachers, and conclude
that there is no danger. So long has it
oeen the custom to think and to speak
vji rtiuenia as a unrisuan nation tnat
many have come to believe that the work
is done.
Fhe Unfinished Task.
Our forefathers did give America to
God in prayer, but those who came after
them have not all been governed by the
same purpose. Succeeding generations
have been far more concerned with' the
material conquest of the continent than
with their own spiritual needs. Of the
present population not more than 20,000,000,?less
than one-fourth of the whole,?
are in Protestant churches. These twenty
million must preserve themselves, care
for the other seventy millions, and look
after still other millions coming from foreign
lands.
Careful statisticians estimate that in
fifty years the 90,000,000 of today will
have become 200,000,000, and that by the
close of the century the population of the
United States will have passed the 500,000,000
mark. The Home Mission is not
only not finished, but with the ever in
creasing numbers and the changing conditions,
it will require earnest effort and
constant watchfulness to hold what has
already been accomplished.
Many voices proclaim this fact,
rhe Condition of the City.
Any city. Who is master here? This
is rapidly becoming a nation of cities.
From town and country and beyond the
sea there is a resistless stream. The
large cities are becoming larger, the
great cities are becoming greater. The
city will undoubtedly control our national
future. If the nation is saved the city
must be saved. Only the gospel of Jesus
Christ can do this. Legislation will not
cleanse. Libraries will not redeem. Social
improvement will not meet the need.
The gospel will. "Arise and go unto that
great city and cry out against it. Preach
unto it that nreaehiner that T htH "
The gospel of Repentance is the only way.
It saved Nineveh. It would have saved
Sodom. It can save America. "The people
of Nineveh believed God!" It is for
the Christian people of every city to say:
"Jesus Christ is Master here," and then
go to work and make it a fact.
The Character of Our New Citizens.
A million a year, largely of foreign
speech a&d Catholic. Eighty per cent come
from South-eastern Europe and Asia. "They
differ from us In language, customs, Ideals
and religion. The past three years the
income reached a daily average of more
than 3,000, and it has only begun. Dr.
Strong says that "Europe alone could send
us 3,000,000 per year,?300,000,000 during
the twentieth century,?and yet increase
the source of supply." They will contin