Newspaper Page Text
The Christian Index'
VOL. 55—NO. 34.
Table of Contents.
First Page. —Alabama Department: Record of
State Events; China: Book Notices; Spirit of
the Religious Press; Baptist News and Notes;
General Denominational Newß; Choctaw and
Chickasaw Association; Home Missions.
Secokd Paoe.— Our Correspondents: ’ Gaming,
Dancing, Tippling”—T. B. Cooper; Letter from
Hall County, Georgia—\V. C. Wilkes; Kev J.
W. P. Fackltr; Twenty-three Children Con
verted—H. F. Smith; Apologetic—C. M. Irwin;
Notes About Quitman— Rev. N. A. Daily; The
ological and Normal Institute (col’d) —Action
of the Colored Baptists of Atlanta; An Appeal
to Georgia Baptists—John G. Polhill. Rev. R.
D. Mallary—T. L. Dagg; Hightower Associa
tion; Contributions from Greensboro Church
—C. M. Irwin. '
Third Page. —Searching the Scriptures : “Epis
copacy tested ” —An Essay on Apostolic Suc
cession, continued. The Sunday-school; Les
son for Bunday. September 10, 1876; A Word
About our Sunday-school Work—T, C. Boykin,
etc,
Fourth Page. —Editorial: Christ aWitness—Rev.
S. G. Hillyer. Miss Lula Wliildon; Remarkable
Cases of Conviction and Conversion—Rev. J.
S. Baker. Correction; Georgia Baptist News:
Rev. T. C. Boykin; Personal; Editorial Para
graphs—Rev. D. E. Butler.
Fifth Page.— Secular Department: The Chinese
Question; Character: Literary Gossip: The
Skeleton on the Bosporus; Georgia News;
Foroign and Domestic Notes; etc.
Sixth Page.— Associational Meetings: Forty
second Session of Central Association; Gen
eral Meeting Third Die (riot Faiiburu Associa
tion. „
Seventh Page.—The Bam Yard—Hog and
Chicken Cholera; etc.
Eighth Page. —Publishers' Department. Tiib
ute of Respect; Obituaries: Advertisements
INDEX AND BAPTIST.
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT.
The health of Montgomery is good.
There are two free schools in Scotlsboro.
—The gold fever is still raging throughout
Tallaposa county.
In Tuscaloosa good peaches sell at 50 cents
a bushel.
—A young people’s pajier has been started
in Huntsville.
An unusually large amount of wool has
been raised in Dale county this year.
A Young Men’s Christian Association has
been organized in Birmingham.
Twenty members have recently been added
to Liberty Grove church, Lawrance county.
There has been a revival in the Baptist
church at Evergreen.
There are four hundred and seventy convicts
in the penitentiary.
Our Baptist brethren in Ozark have held a
protracted meeting with gratifying results.
In Athens, peaches are abundant at from 20
to 25 cents a bushel.
Stone Hill copper mines, in Cleburne and
Randolph counties, have been sold to a Mie
souri company for $140,000.
A Board of Trade was organized in Monte
vallo on August 10th.
Anew post-office will be opened at Air.
John Seay’s house, Calhoun county, and will
be known as Seaton.
Rev. J. S. Dill has resigned the pastorate of
the Montevallo Baptist church. He goes to
the Theological Seminary, at Greenville, S. C.
An eight year old boy named Bell, who
live* nine miles from Troy, weighs 195
pounds.
Wm. Johnson, of Rocky Mount neighbor
hood, Montgomery county, committed suicide
the 17th ult. _
The Seventh Annual Session of the Grand
Lodge I. O. G. T. of Alabama will convene
at Greensboro on the fourth day of October.
The Postmaster of Mobile, T. C. Bingham,
was recently arrested at Opelika on a warrant
issued at the instance of ex-postmaster, Wick
ersham, of Mobile, charging Bingham with
libel.
The bondholders who bought the Alabama
& Chattanooge railri ad so me time ago failed
to pay the purchase money, as ordered by the
court to be done, on the first of September, and
the road is again advertised lor sale undet a
decree of the United States District Court ren
dered in July.
The Selma Argus says: “Since our last the
ravages of the cotton worm in this section have
been very great. Whole plantations are strip
ped, add the destroyers continue to multiply
and increase, and to grow n rapacity. There
is scatcely a plantation in all the surrounding
country that has escaped them, and to an unu
sual extent the efforts to combat them ave
proved unavailing. The area devastated is
large, embracing the best portions of
Perry, Hale, Marengo, Wilcox and Lowndes
in this part of the State, and, we think, the
Alabnma cotton belt generally.
The Selma Argus says the reports from the
cotton fields are discouraging On many places
where worms have hitherto appeared, they are
now sweeping everything before them, while
they are to be found in great numbers where
until recently there had been no signs of them.
They are becoming general over a large area,
and great damage is being done;
THE SOIJTH-WESTEEN BAPTIST,
of Alabama.
CHINA.
The German minister, Von Brant, is press
ing the Chinese government severely in the
matter ot a treaty revision, and is reported to
have made sixteen separate demands, the most
important of which are, that the whole of
China be re-opened for intercourse and trade;
that local taxes detrimental to foreign interests
be abolished ; that permission shall be given
foreigners to use steam on inland waters; and
that China adopt the responsibilities of interna
tional law.
The Spirit of the Age is knocking at
the closed gates of the Empire of the
Sun; his ministers are busily engaged in
undermining the traditional wall which
has, for centuries, barred progress and
civilization, and in a few years nothing
but the debris of this ancient mockery
will be left, to recall the history of three
thousand years.
The outworks of this mighty and
shadowy empire have already fallen ;
commerce has fastened its iron grip
upou its unwieldy frame; the mission
ary, with the armour of Christian faith,
his path made luminous with the glorv
of the Bible, has penetrated to the
hearthstones of the Mongolian and driv
en heathen gods from their foul sanctu
aries. From this new movement of a vig
orous, victorious and aggressive people,
led by a government mighty in resour
ces and capacity, what marvelous le
sults may follow? Can we not seethe
finger of God in it all? Four hundred
millions of human souls to be released
from the prison walls of immemorial
darkness ! The Cross of Calvary shed
ding its divine light over a new-found
world !
BOOK NOTICES.
How to Write Letters, by J. Willis Westlake,
A. M. Put liskud by Sower, Potts & Cos., Phil
adelphia.
This book of 264 pages, elegantly
printed and bound, cannot fail of being
of great use to a large class of people.
The subject is an important one, and
there is a far greater amount of igno.
ranee upon the themes treated,
even among cultivated people, than
many are willing to admit. The
method of treatment is perfect. Part
J. .relies ,to letters, notes and cards.
Part 11. treats of orthography and
punctuation. Part 111, gives full in
formation of appelative titles, for.as of
address and salutation, abbreviations,
foreign words and phrases, postal in
formation and business papers.
None of these important themes are
slighted; all receive full attention,
and the knowledge is imparted in pure,
idiomatic English, and in a polished
style. It is a complete manual of the
fine art of letter-writing, an art which
fe v even of our most eminent writers
have been masters of, and whose study,
in this attractive form, cannot he too
warmly endorsed. The book is for sale
by Phillips & Crew, booksellers, Allan
ta, Ga.
Literature for Little Folks, by Elizabeth
Lloyd; published by Sower, Potts & Cos.; Phil
adelphia.
This is a handsomely bound and
finely printed little book. Instructive,
attractive, with numerous illustrations,
and calculated to fill a good niche in the
temple of juvenile literature.
The author’s preface is sensible, and
will meet the endorsement of intelli
gent instructors of children. She
savs : “ Technical grammar is useful
and valuable in its place, but commit
ting the rules of system to memory
never made a correct writer and
speaker. Those children who habit
ually hear good English, speak aud
write it correctly, unconscious of rules ;
and the idea has at last dawned upon
educators that the best way to gain a
knowledge of the English language is
to study the language itself. That this
study may begin as early in life as pos
sible, the author has prepared this
volume of selections from standard
authors, believing that children from
eight to twelve years of age may com
mit them to memory with profit and
pleasure.
The selections are all good, and the
author has done her work well. We
commend the little book to parents and
teachers as useful, instructive and un
doubtedly calculated to p’ease the “lit
tle foiks.” For sale by Phillips &
Crew, Atlanta, Ga.
The merchants of Selma are receiving the
large.-t stocks of goods brought there since the
close of the war.
FRANKLIN I’illNTO'fl HOUSE, ATUNIH, GEORGIA, SEPTEMBER 7, Dili
Spirit of the Religious Press,
—Rev. D. W. Patton, D.D., of Chicago,
has the following on the subject of “Sunday”
or “Sabbath
It appears that in modern Greek through all
its modifications, the last day of the week is
called Sabatton, in Spanish, Sabadot, and gen
erally the word Sabbath means the seventh
day. “By long ecclesiastical use ‘Sunday’ has
been completely redeemed from its heathen
chaiacter; and since Christ is our Sun of
Righteousness, it has gained anew and Chris
tian meaning.”
—The Western Recorder indulges in a eulogy
on the blessings of a “bad” memory, and justi
fies its apparently singular negative plea by
the following eloquent application:
Blessings on that happy man or woman who
has the great gift of forgetfulness 1 We know
some such sweetly oblivious souls, who never
repeat an unkind word when they hear one;
who find no secret delight in the thistles and
thorns that they encounter in life, but drop
and trample (hem at once under their feet, in
stead of treasuring them up and cunningly
waiting an opportunity to stick them into their
neighbors when their backs are turned, “as
the manner of some is I" If all the vexations
and ill-natured tilings that are said in tins
world could be only instantly forgotten; if
those who now take such pleasure in repeating
and perpetuating and multiplying the mis
chief could only learn what a blessing a bad
memory for evil and scandal really is, how
much ihe tranquility ol neighborhoods and of
the churches of Christ would be multifilied I
How soon this suffering, scandal-wounded
world would be upon the road to healing, and
happiness, and peace 1
—The Examiner and Chronicle holds the fol
lowin' excellent language—it is all true;
would that we could always live closely up to
this excellent standard of Christian fortitude I
Many excellent people, who would be
shocked at the bare thought of directly im
pugning the goodness of God in His dealings
with them, allow themselves to (all into a habit
ot fretting and fault-finding in regard to
nearly everything connected with their or
dinary life. They fret at their friends, at the
ways of their children, at every little business
trouble, at the weather, the crops, at all the
various circumstances, great and small, with
which the providence ot God has encompassed
them. It does pot seem to occur to them that
there is anything sinful in this faultfinding
spirit; but it there not in reality a kind of
practical skepticism in it? The B'ible enjoins
the most devout thankfulness in all the cir
cumstances of life. But the man who is con
stantly dissatisfied witli his surroundings is
hardly in the frame of mind to be thankful
for anything He may yield an intellectual
assent to the truth that “ail tilings work to
gether for good to those who love God,” but
Inis conduct belies hie profession. It may
very far from his intention to cast reproach
Upon the providence that shapes his life ; but as
God is the Author of His circumstances, to
refuse Him t ranks and to fret and fume because
they are not different from what they are, is
really to charge unkindness upon God, as
though He were withholding something that He
might have bestowed.
—Tire Morning Star offers the following
sensible advice to parents and guardians in
regard to college imtruction for llrcir sons :
In sending their sorts to college, parents
ought first of all to consult their moral welfare.
In this respect we believe that the smaller
colleges offer the greatest inducements. In
the last class at Yale, for instance, whose repu
tation for ability was only surpassed by its
reputation for wickedness, careful inquiry
shows that there was an alartrring amount not
only of extravagant Hying, but of intemper
ance, and of almost all varieties of immorality
and vice. Is it not a fact that the world is
getting its most reliable and wholesomely in
fluential men today from the smaller colleges
in New England and the West? The students
are more readily impressed by the faculty, and
their moral natures are more easily directed,
where there is an absence of large numbers.
We have spoken of the moral bearing of the
question as the main thing. And we believe
it is so, for intellectual training, which depends
mainly upon the student himself, wherever he
may be graduated, is of little worth with no
moral safeguards about it.
—The Watchman impressively urges Chris
tians, of every degree, to push forward in the
glorious battle for Christ against the world :
“To the church Jehovah is ever saying,
“Go ye up and possess the land.” Going
forth from Calvary, she is to lift up the stand
ard ot the cross, and plant this blessed symbol
of Messiah’s reign in every land, driving lienee
the idols of the nations, transforming the tem
ples of Paganism into sanctuaries of the living
God, and in her victorious march win into a
world allegiance to Him whose right it is to
reign. This is her high and holy mission.
The eye of the great Captain is on the army
He has sent forth to the battle. Not one of
the humblest in the multiplied bands is un
seen by Him. Let us awake to greater en
gagedness in HißCau.se. Let all who are wait
ing for us to press them into the kingdom of
God, find our direct influence a constant in
centive urging them at once to lay hold on
the hope set before them in the Gospel.”
—Tiie Baptist Weekly has the following
plain argument on licensing ministers:
One of the evils from which the Baptist
denomination sufiers to day is from men being
in its ministry who utterly lack the qualifica
tions the office demands. With our church
independency, which we do well to determine
to maintain inviolate, there is an opportunity
for very unfit men to enter the ministry.
When a man wants to be a minister, if he is
persistent enough, he is likely to obtain a
license from his chuicli, for many churches
will see in this the easiest way of escaping the
annoyance of his importunity and in the op
portunity to “exercise his gilts,” the best means
ot teaching him his own incompetency for the
work he resolves to undertake. Then charity
is frequently allowed to eclipse judgment, and
with a general conviction that a man never
can succeed as a minister, a church will give
him a license.
In such cases there is generally someone
who remembers an instance of a brother whom
“eveiybody thought” ought not to be licensed
who Us proved very successful, and bo it is
hoped l may prove with the “young brother.”
hornet lues, the said “young brother” is fifty
years Id. Thus a man is authorized to go
into otner pulpits, though it is well known the
church that licenses him will never tolerate
nm u; ns own. If, in such cases, someone
had the courage logo over the list of men who
were believed in the beginning not fit for the.
min is try, and ot whom experience has demon
strated the truth of these early misgivings, it
would, though an ungracious, he a very useful
service. When a man has so little education
lat lie cannot utter half a dozen sentences
without * plunder in grammar, and by his mis
takes excites the scorn and laughter of half the
juven list) present, he ought not to he licensed to
preach It is very easy to tell these children
that then comments are rude, and tlmt they
should, v thankful for their opportunities, and
a long firing of other moralities, hut they
“‘VA, ,a ‘* l n0 man ought to he allowed the
privilege of bringing the ministry into con
tempt ( iy his ignorance. It is time that
churches considered the results of licensing
unht in.;.i in its influence on public sentiment.
W hen i<>e mention is made, "He is a minister,”
and a si rer accompanies the remark, it is well
to be sure that the sneer is not justifiable before
we take umbrage.
!M I’l'IST NKtVS AND NOTES.
Rev J. R Baumes has retired from the
editorraf chair. He has sold his interest in
the Joir’ nt and Messenger to the Rev. G. W.
Lasher, 1).D,, who will succeed him.
—Baptist growth in ‘lie South in the past
three-quarters of a century is altogether beyond
comparison with other denominations.
—Columbian college lias conferred the hon
orary degree of D.D. on Rev. Luther R. Gwalt
ney, President of the Judson Institute, Marion,
Ala.
•—The Louisiana Baptist State Convention
reports .181). ohurelies, 112 ordained ministers,
13,772 members ; an increase of 1,145 by bap
tism the past year. Colored Baptists, 356
churches, 221 ministers, 35,548 members.
—The Baptist church in Charleston, West
Virginia, without a pastor, Rev. S. F
Taylor having resigned in order to attend
Crozer Semi ary.
There are seventy-two Baptist Sunday
schools in tjie Kappahannock Association, of
V irginia, and, within twelve months, they have
made a clear gain ol 1,216 scholars, making
the total number of officers, teachers and schol
ars in said schools about 5,322.
—The Education Board of Virginia Bap
tists sustained last year at college thirty-five
young ministers.
—Bev.-A. ]s. Earle, the evangelist, hasbeen
made a D.D- by the California Baptist College.
Cos. will soon publish a volume
of lectures 1 4x Ir. John A. Broadua, oiUtlcd
“Preachers ynd Preaching.”
—The Baptists of Minnesota are making
good progress in their efforts to raise $50,000
for the endnwment of the College at Owatonna.
Their efforts are not divided.
—The Baptist church at Austin, Texas, is
without a pastor, brother Dodge having accep
ted a call from the Baptist church at Columbia,
Mo.
—The Religious Herald makes the following
point with telling effect, and we commend it
seriously to our readers:
Very few of those who read our Baptist pa
pers have any just ideaef the toils and sacrifi
ces of those who make them. At least one
half of the Baptists of the South scarcely ever
see a Baptist paper. If pastors and others,
who know how greatly these multitudes might
be henefitted by the weekly visits of such a
journal, would set to work in earnest to induce
them to subscribe to one of them, what a help
it would 1)9 to those in charge of our denomi
national press, and to every good cause!
—The editor of the National Baptist is in fa
vor of granting letters to Baptists to join Pe
dobaptist churches.
—The Free Baptists are making great efforts
to establish institutions of learning. Hilldale
College is the oldest ; Bates, at Lewiston,
Maine, has an endowment of $300,000; Ridge
way, Ind., starts off with an endowment of
$300,000; Rio Grande, 0., has*buildings and
an endowment of SIOO,OOO.
—Through the liberality ctf John B. Trevor,
Esq., New York, an arrangement has been
made with Rev. John A. Broadus, D. D. > ‘o
deliver a special course of Lectures on Preach
ing, the coming season, in the Rochester Theo
logical Seminary. Nobody who has heard Dr.
Broadus will doubt his eminent fitness to tell
the young men how to preach with unction
and power, and his lectures cannot be other
wise than highly serviceable.
The Montgomery Advertiser of Sept mber 3d
says: “Some months ago the First Baptist
church of the city was deprived of a pastor by
the resignation of Rev. Dr. Gwin, and called
Rev. Dr. Hawthorne to the pastorate. It was
expected that Dr. Hawthorne would arrive
here about this time, and his presence was
looked forward to with much pleasure, not on
ly by members of that church, but by the
community at large. On yesterday a letter
was received from Dr. Hawthorne, asking to
be allowed to withdraw from the charge, on
account of matters of a family and J roviden
tial character. Of course, while regretting the
necessity of so doing, the church will comply
with the wishes of Dr. Hawthorne and relea-e
him from his engagement. A meeting of the
church will be held in a few day- to determine
the matter, and to select another pastor.
—The Presbyleriaus of the North fall off
seven hundred and fitly thousand dollars in coi tri
butions to their denominational enterprises, as
compared with last year.
the CHRISTIAN HTHERA.X.OD
General Denominational Re,
—A basis of re-union of the Methodist
churches, Nortli and South, has been agreed
upon by the Commission recently assembled
at Cape May. The questions of chuich prop
er'y are amicably adjusted, and the following
basis was unanimously adopted:
As to the status of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and the Methodist Episcopal church
South, and their co-ordinate relation as legiti
mate branches of Episcopal Methodism, each
of the said churches is a legitimate branch ot
Episcopal Methodism in the United States,
having a common origin in the Methodist
Episcopal church organized in 1784. Since
the organization of the Methodist Episcopal
church South was consumated in 1845, by the
voluntary exercise of the right of the Southern
Annual Conferences, ministers and members to
adhere to that convention, it has been an evan
gelical church, reared on Snriplural founda
tions, and her ministers and members, with
those of the Methodist Episcopal church, have
constituted the Methodist family, though in
distinct Ecclesiastical connection
—Dr. Newman Flail says the churches of
Great Britain have loßt thirty thousand mem
liers within three years by intemperance.
—The Church Missionary College, at Isling
ton, (Anglican) has just held its fiftieth anni
versary. Since it was founded it has sent out
450 missionaries.
—Six Christian men gave to the Board of
Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian church
last year the sum of $66,000. It waH given in
portions varying from $5,000 to SB,OOO, $lO,-
000, $20,000 by two, and $23,000 by one.
—A remarkable evangelical work is being
carried on in Paris, under the lead of the Rev.
Mr. McAll, an Englishman. Eighteen sta
tions have been established in the arondisse
ments of the city, at which sittings for 3,200
are provided. Upwards ol seventy public
meetings are held at these stations every week
with an average weekly attendance of 6,200
persons. Mr. McAll is assisted by nine reg
ular helpers, and by Reformed, Lutheran and
Wesleyan pastors.
—The Religious Book Society, of London,
has sold 2,000,000 copies of Bunyan’s Pil
grim’s Progress within a few years.
—The Episcopalians in New York city are
going to build a C atliedral to cost two million;
dollars. A site has been fixed upon, and the;
funds are being raised.
—A “signs of the times” is a conference be
tween bishops and leading Nonconformist
minizters at Lambeth Palace, for the purpose
of discussing the alleged progress of irreligious
ihoHJtlrl at the present day.
—Through the Influence ol the Jesuits the
bill to establish the non-sectarian schools be
fore the last Territorial Legislature of New
Mexico was defeated. In five of the couuties
of the Territory the public schools are in the
hands of the Jesuits, and their books and the
Roman Catholic catechisms are text-books in
a majority of the counties
—The Christian Chinamen in San Francis
co are doing more Christian work and paying
more money for Christian purposes, in propor
tion to their numbers and ability, than any
other class of Christians.
—ln spite of the recent report to the contra
ry, an Old Catholic Congress will be held this
year. It will meet at Breslau September 22-24
—A gentleman of wealth recently made a
donation of SIO,OOO to the Presbyterian Board
of Foreign Missions.
—London has 802 churches and 1445 clergy
men.
For tee Index and baptist.)
CHOCTAW AND CHICKASAW SOCIATION.
I send you a summary of the pro
ceedings of our Association, assured
that the good will of your readers to
ward the Indian Mission will interest
them in reading the same.
The Association met with the Nunny
Chaha (High Hill) church, Toboxy,
(Coal) county, on Friday, the 11th of
August.
Introductory sermon by brother
Lewis Cass, a faithful old native preach
er, who does good service without fee
or reward. His text was Matthew :xi
30: “For my yoke is easy and my
burden light,’’
Missionary R. J. Hogue was elected
Moderator, and “the beloved physi
cian,” Dr. J. H. Moore, clerk, and
Jackson Loving, Fsq., Interpreter.
’ w Letters and delegates received from
fourteen out of seventeen old churches.
Six new churches constituted the past
year were received, which shows ad
vancement. Only fifty-two baptisms
reported. Ten Sunday-schools report
ed, though there are others, all in a
flourishing condition.
BUBINEBS-
The Report on Temperance brought
out the fact that but one chutch mem
ber has been known to be druuk the
past year. It took strong ground
against the smuggling into the Nation
of any intoxicating liquors, or the in
troduction of Jamaica ginger; bitters
of all kinds, Missouri cider, etc. It
also deuounced gambling in all its
forms, and billiard saloons (of which
there are a few on the line of the rail
road, put up by white men, and which
are doing great harm ) The report,
drawn up by a committee composed of
natives, was very strong, and the dis-
of Tennessee.
WHOLE NG
cussiou was equally positive. It passed
by a unanimous and hearty vote. Vis
itors sa’d that such a report could not
have passed unanimously in any asso
ciation in Missouri.
MISSIONS.
This report took hold of the hearts
of the delegates. Every one felt deep
ly the force of the facts brought out
that large portions of our Nations are
destitute of the whole gospel, and also
that our wild brethren ot the plains
are yet heathen. The report was dxs
cussed earnestly amid sighs and tears
and prayers. The conclusion arrived
at, was that we must aff, missiona
ries, native preachers, members, male
and female, consecrate ourselves alto
gether to the Lord and His service and
trust Him for needed help.
GENERAL ASSOCIATION.
A proposition was sent to the Musco
gee and Cherokee Associations, and to
the Seminole churches, to unite with
the Choctaw in a General Association
for the purpose of giving unity and
strength to the denomination in the
Territory. There are nearly or quite
ninety churches, and 5,000 members
among all the tribes, and if these can
all be united in a General Association,
or Convention, it will enable them to
council together and work together for
the good of .pause among all the
tribeenand result in great good; besides
it will give character abroad, and their
united requests and appeals to the
brethren in the States will have greater
weight than if scattered as at present.
woman’s mission society.
Mrs. Dr. Blackall, of Chicago, in a
modest and earnest manuei 1 gathered
the Indian women together and talked
with them of the importance of their
working for Jesus and workiug in an
organized manner. It was anew idea.
The woman kked the idea. I favored
it, of The men readilv gave
their favor, for “anything for Jesus”
is their motto, and they have no dispo
sition to keep down their wives and
daughters. So the society was formed,
and the women have taken for their
first object the cost of completing the
Choctaw Baptist hymn book—a splen
, did object, and one dear to all hearts.
God bless them in their work, and uuite
them as a society iu the bands of love.
•entertainment.
Although a church composed entirely
of fu) bloods,, the member g aud citi
zens of Munny Chaha had ample pro
vision prepared for the large crowds
whe? gathered there.
THE EFFECT.
On the whole, this was one of the
best sessions of our Association, and I
think the result will tell largely for the
good of the cause among the Choctaws
and elsewhere in the Territory. The
preaching was excellent. A good
spirit pervaded the whole congregation,
the glory of God seetnsd to be the
great object of the meeting, and God
granted his blessing to all hearts,
CONCLUSION.
The meeting closed Monday at noon,
and the tear, the word and the clasp
of the hand of men and women as they
parted, were signs of sincere, Christian
affection from honest hearts. I was
very feeble during all the meeting, un
able to walk, but the evidences of af
fection from all these Indian Chris
tians and others were very precious to
me, and inspired me with almost new
life. Praise the Lord for this meeting
Yours truly, J. S. Morrw.
For the Index and Baptist. |
HOME MISSIONS.
The Home Mission Board is following the
instructions of the Southern Baptist Conven
tion, by dispensing with paid agents, as far as
practicable. Pastors and churches by a hearty
co-operation in the effort, can make the exper
iment a success. Without their co-operation,
it must prove a failure. Motives are not wan
tin to stimulate the disciples of Jesus in this
great undertaking. It is His will that the Gos
pel shall be preached to every creature. It i-
His work to which we are called by His Word
and His Providence. While the doors are
opened wide to almost every nation, and rich
harvest fields invite us to enter, surely they
who live under our own bright skies, our
kindred, neighbors and friends, have special
claims upon our sympathy and our service.
The demand for laborers in the home fiel i
was never greater, the promise of a rich return
never more hopeful.
Just beyond the border the Macedonian cry
for help is heard from the Indians—the Cheeks
for reinforcement of missionaries and a mis
sion school. Our tried and faithful missiona
ries, Rev. Willis Burns, to the Chickasaws.
and Rev. R. J, Hogue, to the Choctaws, are
laboring without a stipulated salary. Is this
right ?
While some of the nations are upon the war
path, scenting blood, the Shawnees (a wild
tribe) are pleading for the Gospel of peace and
for schools for their children. The opportu
nity of doing the work assigned the Board i
before us, but opportuniii s do not linger. We
must seize the occasion or it may be lost. The
Board can do no more than the friends of
Jesus and of Missions give them the means to
do.
“ Brethren, think on these things/' and may
the prosperity which the apostle wished for
“the well beloved Gains” be yours.
Wm. H. Mclntosh,
Corresponding Secretary Hume Mist-ion Board.