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The Christian Index Vol. 57 —No. 12. Table of Contents. First Page.—Alabama Department: Amuse ments, Innocent and Vicious; A Labor of 1 Love that Stands; Alabama Letter; Fev. ’ J. H. Kinnebrew; Oxford High School; j Ordination of Rev. W. S. Griffin; State Mis- : sion Board. Religions Press. Second Page.—Correspondence : Rehobotb, Mission Station—Letter From Rev. John Jumper, Seminole Chief; The Carnal Mind —W.M. H.; “The Great"—T. II.; Gaines ville Female College—G. L. W.; Is it Right? —W.M. H.; To the Baptists of the South — J. L. M. Curry; To the Georgia Association —J. 11. Kilpatrick; An Appeal. The Sun day-School—Prosperity Restored— Lessen for April 13, 1879. Third Pagk.—Duties of Pastors to Churches by Robert F. Rogers, Florina; Obituaries. Fourth Page.—Editorials: Specific Confes- I sion; Public Duty in Cases of Crime; Two | Bites of a Cherry; A Layman; American Baptist Publication Society. How to An swer Skeptics. Georgia Baptist News. Fifth Pagr.—Secular Editorials and News Paragraphs; Spirit of Our Magazine Litera ture; Georgia News, etc, Sixth Page—Children's Corner: The First Pocket—poetry; The Daughter of a King; What Luu Did; The Grown-up Clock—poe try; You Can Never Rub It Out. Seventh Page.—The Farmers’ Index: Farm ; Work; Borrowed Notes. New Advertise- ; meats. Eighth Page—Floridi Department: letter i from South Florida; Laconics; State News; ■ Obituaries. Alabama Department. BY SAMUEL HENDERSON. AMUSEMENTS, INNOCENT AND VICIOUS. It is one of the desiderata of the times to ascertain the rationale, the true philosophy of amusements. Young, buoyant life ever has sought and ever will seek amusement. We can no more repress it than we can change the currents of streams up a declivity. The Creator seems to have so designed it, and we cannot re verse it. All we can do, and perhaps all wo ought to do, is to throw in such checks, such modifying forces, as will circumscribe ihis innate propensity within those moral proprieties that will preserve the character from the contamination of vice. To do this, aoine principle, or rule must be found that will discriminate be tween those amusements that are in nocent and those which are vicious and sinful. What is that principle or rule?—a question, perhaps, more easily asked than answered. Stfll, as the sub ject is important, it may not be amiss to essay some kind of an answer to it. Let us give both a positive and a neg ative statement of it. Ist. Those amusements which leave the heart, the mind, and the body more vigorous and lietter adapted to the serious and dignified pursuits of | life, may be indulged, not only with impunity but with propriety. 2d. Every kind of amusement which incapacitates the heart, mind and body, in whole or in part, for the active legi-; timate duties of our every-day life, is to be shunned by- all who have any higher purpose in this world than mere pleasure. We suppose all will agree with us in saying, that on these occasions of amusement which are innocent and proper, the social instincts should come into healthful play—the affec tions should be properly developed by I “a pleasing kind of friction” of inter course and converse—that genial, smiling faces and kindly hearts should meet apd mingle in the most confiding friendship—that the physical and mental frame should, as it were, un bend itself from the round of daily toil, to draw “refreshment and invigoration from a certain active rest,” as Bayne expresses it, “midway between sleep and labor.” All this is needed by the very constitution of our nature, and the man who doubts it, is unfit to ad vise either the youthful or the aged, at least upon this subject. This we take to bo the real philosophy of amuse ment. Now, if we are right in this, our principle cuts off all these amuse ments that are a. Purely animal, because they are ignoble: b. Also those that arc purely mental, because they defeat the purpose in view: c. And those that are destitute of true kindness, of trustful, friendly con fidence, for they are simply false. “Innocent amusements,” says Dr. Channing, “are such as excite moder ately ; and such as produce a cheerful frame oi*<mind,not boistreous mirth ;and such as refresh .instead of exhausting the system; such as recur frequently, rather than continue long; such as send us back to our daily duties invig orated in body and spirit; such as we can partake of in the presence and society of respectable friends; such as consist with, and are favorable, to a grateful piety; such as are chastened by self-respect, and arc accompanied with SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST, or Alabama. •hiviD the consciousness that life has a higher end than to be aipQKd.” . Ir ,. n What, then, Ha, manifest perversion of the true rationale of amusement when we substitute it for the sober, active, substantial duties of life—-when; we so pursue it, that 'instead of- it in-i vigorating the mttul 'and . body, and elevating and purifying ou« moral facul-1 ties, it tends to dissipate the mind, en ervate the body, and deaden- our moral sensibilities, and thus unfit us for the main pursuits of life. What a calamity to convert life’s great mission from solemn reality into a mere phantom of pleasure! ) “ O ’tin sad To think how few our pleasures really are, And for the which we risk eternal good." A LABOR OF LOVE THA T STANDS Many years ago, a Christian mer chant in one of our cities, who had been distinguished for Ms benevolence, was burnt out of almost all his posses sions. Friends gathered around him to express their sympathies in his losses, but strange to say, he was the most cheerful of all. After he received their kindly r expressions, he remarked to them, that he had one abiding source of comfort—he had invested fifty thou sand dollars'in an enterprise that was above and beyond the reach of fire—in the cause of Christ—and that that was all that remained to him,.and it would never fail to yield a handsor. e divi dend. Thinking over this incident recently, it reminded us of a piece of the history of a brother who went to his reward over twenty years ago, and which is worth recording for the benefit of oth ers. We allude to the venerable Wm. Jenkins, Sr., for many years a member of our church at Alpine, then called Talladega Baptist church. The first Alabama Baptist Convention wc ever attended was in 1840. In connection with those who accompanied us, we bore to that Convention a contribution from brother Jenkins of one thousand dollars, which was equally divided be tween Foreign and State Missions, (for then as now the Convention had its State Missionaries.) The next year, we believe he contributed fifteen hun dred .dollars, long as h* lived, as we remember, never falling under a thousand dollars a year. In the mean time, he erected, at his own cost, and on his own land, a neat, com modious house of worship, which he gave to the colored members of the old Talladega church, which they have oc cupied ever since, and which has grown to be one of the largest colored Baptist churches in this part of the State, num bering, we suppose, not less than four or five hundred members. In his will, among other kindly and thoughtful do nations, he committed to the custody of his church an amount sufficient to yield fifty dollars annually, to be ex pended in missionary work in the bounds of the Coosa River Association. The amount, by a kind Providence, es caped the disasters of the war, and is now available for that amount annual ly. It constituted the basis of a fund I after the war, to which such additions ' were made by the churches, as to ena ble the Board of Directors to have more or less missionary work done for the last ten years. The plan adopted by the Board is, to select such points of destitution as may exist, and appoint such ministers to fill them as live near these points, and pay them for the time they occupy in supplying them. | This is no less economical than it is ju»t. In this way, the Board has aided in supplying destitute places within the time suggested, in which five good, substantial, growing churches have been organized, and in which one that had gone into practical disintegration, has been re-organized, and is now a large, prosperous body. When a new church is organized, the Board gener ally supplements the salary of the pas tor to a small extent, for.a year or two, until they can build a house and help themselves. Thus, in a quiet, unosten tatious way, we doubt if any Associa tion in Alabama has done more effi cient, permanent missionary work with the means and within the time, than has been done by this body. And ob serve, reader, all this is to be attributed, I mainly at least, to the donation of that wise and pious Christian man, William Jenkins. Thus he “has laid up a good foundation against the time to come thus his “works do follow him,” and will continue to follow him for many, , many long years. ALABAMA LETTER. I [The little delay which has occurred I in publishing the following communi : cation from our brother W. Wilkes, , but it has lost none of its interest by i such delay.—Ed.] Dear Index: In writing a line for your columns I know I shall not be censured with nn effort to add a ray to sunlight. When I used to read your pages more closely, and the proceedings of the Georgia State Convention, I was impressed by the practical wisdom of ■j Atlanta, Georgia, March 27, 1870. Georgia Baptists, in extending their circles of counsel and their Convention committees, so as to reach every corner of the State, and thereby secure the sympathies of every grade of talent for tlie enterprises projected and fostered otnong them. Guiding influences must always go downward and outward; never upward and inward. Any way, this is true, I think, in human relations. Our own State denominational outlook in the main is quite encouraging. Eight or ten of us Missionaries are traveling abroad and doing wh;\t we can. The churches are waking up to a livelier condition. Much of the field however, lies yet unoccupied by this enterprise. The Howard and the Jud son—grand old institutions—are alive and flourishing. The Alabama Baptist is taking root and growing in some parts of the State. A little more har monizing would give it wider scope. All must work together to give the de sired success. As for me, I shall hope on and hope ever, until those who man age the ship shall guide us to some port. Secular matters in this State are so confused, as to render it quite difficult to say what the true condition is. The bad signs are, first in the injudicious expenditures the people make for com mercial fertilizers, and for uncertain fruit trees. I doubt very much, if half the bales of cotton are added to the or dinary yield in a given community, by said fertilizers, that are hauled there to make payment with. And thousands of dollars are going out of our stinted finances, among the hills and elsewhere to pay for such fruit trees as the people know nothing about. Let us know what we are doing in sjiending what little money we have. The second bad sign is, in the folly of many who try to run their farms on liorrowed capital at heavy interest, and on high advances under mortgage. Inside of our means we are always safe ; beyond our means is the sure way to poverty. That class of farmers who work for what they have, and have what they work for, are quite the happiest people and the thrif tiest I know of. Shun debt, cultivate industry, economize, live within our means, —these are the watch-words of a people’s O«w fwod sign is, we have all learned to realize that we are poor. They who know their condition will provide best for it. Our State has the resources, the people should have the wisdom and prudence to stand high and be prosperous. W. Wilkes. Syllaeauga, Alabama, Feb. 17th., 1879. REV. J. H. KINNE DREW. This brother, who has been the pas tor of the Baptist church at Gadsden for the last two years, has been ap pointed Agent of the Domestic and Indian Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, aiid is now in the field. We met him at Mount Zion, Calhoun county, at our appointment there last Sunday, at which place, con sidering the short notice we had, and the fact that we just made our regular contribution to the State Mission Board, he received a very creditable amount, alanit twenty-five dollars, or nearly so. We most heartily commend him to our churches as an able minister, and a dis creet and efficient agent. Brethren, he will not bore you beyond measure, but he will make you see and feel the im portance and privilege of contributing to a Board that fills an essential place in our system of benevolent agencies. IFe are not afraid of agents, and there fore invited our brother cordially to visit oi/r churches, and he will be with us at Alpine next Sabbath. Whenever men learn to build a six story brick house without any scaffolding, perhaps we may learn to carry on these great enterprises without agencies. The truth is, the whole plan of redemption is a grand system of agencies, intermedia ries, between benefactors and beneficia ries, and to abate these intermediaries, these instrumentalities, is to bring everything, spiritual and temporal, to a dead-lock. We ought, therefore, to welcome them, “as the messengers of the churches and the glory of Christ.” OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL. This institution is growing in popu lar favor. The attendance is larger than usual, being about one hundred and fifteen or twenty. The teachers are doing solid work, and are really accomplishing more than some other institutions of larger pretensions. A full course in this school is almost equivalent to graduation in many col . leges. Indeed, the course of instate j tion presented is almost as thorough I as appears in most of our college curri | culums. Professor Dodson, the Princi- I pal of the school, is indefatigable in his efforts, possessing the rarest qualifies- I lions for the position he has filled so I creditably for several years. It is lo cated in a moral and religious commu nity, of sensible, substantial people, among whom no one need fear to trust his children or wards. Il is eminently worthy the patronage of any people. ORDINATION OF REV. IPAL ,S'. GRIFFIN. At ti e February conference of the Mt. Ziqn Baptist church, Calhoun county. Alabama, of which we arc pas tor, it was resolved to call in a Presby tery to ordain our brother, W. S. Griffin, at meeting, who has for some t-/o or three years been a li censed preacher. Elders W. C. Mynatt and E. I'. Smyth were present by invi tation, and our brother J. 11. kinne brew, of Gadsdea, now agent of the Domestic Mission Board, was also pres ent, whom we cordially invited to par ticipate -in the exercises. After an earnest, effective sermon by brother Mynatt on Saturday, on the text, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me/ the candidate was examined as to his experience and call to the ministry, to the entire satisfaction of the church and Presbytery. The or der of exercises for Sunday was : 1. Sermon by brother Kinnebrew. 2. Ordaining prayer by brother Mynatt. 3. Charge by brother Smyth. 4. Pre sentation of the Bible by the pastor. 5. Right hand of fellowship by the Presbytery and church, led by brother Mynatt. The exercises throughout were quite interesting, the large congregation pres sent manifesting the deepest interest throughout. Brother Griffin is a young man of decided promise, both in his piety and capacities. With but few early advantages, he has applied him self to a course of reading, as well as a discreet exercise of his gifts, un til he has won upon the respect and confidence of a large circle of friends, in all the surrounding country. Perhaps we seldom meet with any man of his age and advantages who surpass es him in the sweet, winning, unctious spirit of his delivery, as well as the pu rity, ease and fluency of his style. We commend him most heartily to the af fections and confidence of all. STATE MISSION BOARD. Our good brother West, of the Ala bama Baptist, must not hold us respon sible for^ information he had, and we did n<\r If he had told us at receiving* anil disbursing funds for State Missions, the Alabama Baptist was acting under the advice and instructions of our worthy Secreta ry, we should have made no reference to him. We might have kindly sug gested to brother Baily that while we have as much confidence in brethren West and Winkler as we could have in anybody in the Stale for such a service, yet they were not “nominated in the bond.” They were not commissioned by the Convention to attend to that ser vice. If the little kindness contemplated by our excellent brother Hudson was designed as an extra service to worthy brethren, to supplement a meagre sal ary, not designed to come under the juristiction of the Board, all right—we have nothing to say, and bid them godspeed in the good work. But if it was designed to be the work of the Board, our opinion is unchanged. What is the use of having a Board, if its existence is to be ignored in the collection and disbursing of funds for State Missions? This we say in all possible kindness to all parties. "SPRINKLED ALL OVER WITH BRA I NSV What! another foul murder? Oh, no, reader. Be patient, and I’ll tell you all about it, if the modest proprie tors and editor-in-chief will let me. It all happened in this way : A worthy minister, who had within the last few months subscribed for the Index and Baptist, was in the company of one of its old patrons in Alabama, and ex pressed his high gratification at the singular ability with which the paper was conducted. “Yes,” responded the old subscriber, “it always was a good paper ; but, sir, it is now sprinkled all over with brains." Now, will it do any harm for the worthy brethren who are doing so much for the entertainment of their patrons, to know that their services are appreci ated? If not, I shall hope to see this little compliment appear in some cor ner of the paper. Rest assured your paper is growing in the confidence and good will of your readers everywhere. Reporter. Rev. Dr. Renfroe has been quite ill for some two weeks—not able to fill his appointments for two Sabbaths, but we are glad to' understand that he is now decidedly convalescent, and that he will soon be able to enter upon his work. His aflliction called out a de gree of sympathy from his church and community that we have not seen sur passed. Gave him as good as he sent, did you? Called his offences by the “right names,” eh? Left an arrow rankling in his breast? See prescription : Proverbs 15: 1. It is worth more than a pound of chloroform to make you oblivious of personal injuries. Try it. Luke. THE CHRISTIAN HERALD, of Tennessee. ’ The Religious Press. —The New York Observer says : The press is the court wherein men are constantly tried. And we repeat the opinion that the religious press ought to be swift to rebuke iniquity in all plaees, but especially in high places, and in holy places. It is set for the defence of the right. It is on the walls and watch towers. If it blows the trumpet, it should give no uncertain sound. If it discovers evil in the city, ilia bound to cry aloud and spare not. Its interest and its duty dictate this service. This is just what The Index thinks, but some of our contemporaries, ad mitting that a man in a high and holy place has done a very wrong thing, (as recently at St. Louis,) gives him a good trouncing with a bunch of roses, the thorns having been previously removed with care. —The Christian Observer (Ky.) tells us that the Presbyterian Publishing Company has issued a new book by' Rev. Mr. Gallaher, entitled “Short method with dipping anti-Pedobap tists,” dedicated to all who may be in terested in knowing the truth. The dedication is said to be very “respectful and affectionate.” If this be so, the dedication must be different from the ti tle,for the word dippers is generally used as one of reproach. The Observer says : In its character the book is peculiarly ag gressive, and hence it leads in a forward movement upon the Immenionist cohorts. Some great general has observed, the army that remains in its trenches is in most dan ger of defeat. The Pedobaptists have been mainly content to remain in their trenches, very reluctant even to repel attack, to say nothing ot aggressive movements upon their opponents. It there is another book mainly designed to lead in a forward aggressive movement, it is not known to your corres pondent. All the baptismal works he knows anything of, are able and convincing replies on lines of attack chosen by “the dippers’' themselves, which is just to their mind. As we are of “the dippers,” we should ' like to know whether Mr. Gallaher will attack the baptism of believers. If 1 this is the object of attack, we feel easy. ' Will he make an onslaught on immer sion as baptism! Still we feel safe. The Observer proceeds: Nothing can please the dippers more than the multiplication of such controversial writ lings. Books like Mr. Gallaher's will cause our opponents to change front, and take the defensive, or thtey uiiist tost undlr (he terri ble indictment of leaching a doctrine of bap« tisrn that owes its origin to the gross igno rance and supers*itious ritualism of the dark ages, but illu-trit-d and defended in modern times by a scholarship remarkable for its learning and diligeut research, and yet a seho arship endowed with an almost suiter human ingenuity in garbling and perverting hi-to ical facts and in elaborately framing fallacious assumptions. We are pleased to see that those who differ with us have so “changed front” as to allow to us “a scholarship remark able for learning and research, and an almost superhuman ingenuity.” We can well remember when we were ridi culed (though always unjustly) for want of scholarship and for great ob tuseness. So the world does move. Perhaps the time will come when Mr. Gallaher will discover that some of the things which he disputes are not only almost superhuman, but quite so. But here is the same old—what shall we call it? Well, we shall call it a misap prehension. This dipping is palmed off on many thou sands as God's Word, and made an indispen sable prerequisite to Christian fellowship. One who puffs up a book on “dipping anti-Pedobaptists” ought to know that the body of God’s people whom he calls by that name in no case make baptism “an indispensable requisite to Christian fellowship.” We hope that he who misrepresents us is himself one of God’s eject, and that it was in igno rance that he made the misstatement. As a specimen of the great power of the book which is to work such won ders among us “dippers,” and cause us to change our front, the following is given as what the author says about “much water To give a taste of the author’s method, let us quote what he says about “much water:” 'I fie Greek and Syriac of John 3: 23, read "many waters or fountains.” This reading is confirmed by Dre. Robinson and Barclay. ‘ The place is about six miles northeast of Jerusalem. Many springs burst from the rocky crevices at various intervals for some miles.” The only reason the “many springs” are ment oned at all, is the fac'that John and Christ's disciples were both baptizing in the same vicinity. If “much water” had bi t n what John wanted, he need not have left Jordan, for all that season (spring) the Jordan <>vet (lowed all its banks. There was too "much water” in quantity, and "too im pure in quality” for John's symbol baptism, for which reason John left the Jordan. No! Well we shall not change our front, and shall not attempt to defend ourselves, anti what wo have now said about this book is probably more than will be said by any other Baptist writer in the world. P. 8. We have just noticed that we have been quoting from a correspondent of the Observer, and not from the paper itself. N’importe! —The, Evangel is a Baptist paper published in Han Francisco, Cal. We make from its columns the following extract calling attention to the fact that Dr. Kalloch is the pastor of the church called The Temple : The night of the long talked of Temple Pastor's benefit, was one of the most inclem- Whole No. 2362. ent of the year. “Everybody” supposed the lecture would be postponed. But too many assembled to allow of this. And too few assembled to make it much of a “benefit.” The lecture on “California,” its advantages, dangers and destiny, was pronounced by all who heard it one of the best that has ever been delivered. It is new, fresh and spicy, being full of information even for old Cali fornians. He is importuned on every hand to repeat it. And he needs the assistance which a repetition would give him. He must have some financial help immediately. He looked to the proceeds of this lecture to furnish it. But as the stoim interfered with this, the Trustees have advised that the Tem ple be given for the use of the pastor, and alt the proceeds of the lecture Sunday even ing, and that the price of admission be twenty-five cents. It is believed that Dr. Kalloch’s friends will crowd the house on this occasion, aud for this object, and it is desired to have the price of admission so low that all his friends may join in it. If it is filled, he will receive enough from it to relieve him from some very pressing embar rassments in which be would not be involved bad his last year’s salary been fully paid. A full bouse Sunday evening will make everything right. Let all his friends be pres ent in force. Parties having paid fir the (1 tickets can exchange them for others, ad mitting them Sunday evening, at The Evan gel office. M e should like to make some com ments on the above, but we feel incom petent to do justice to the subject, and hence we leave each reader to do his own thinking. —TheNew York Observer thus amu ses itself and its readers, speaking of Modern Development : A recent writer, proving the origin of man in the lower races of animals, points out that in the dog in embryo the develop ment of the brain became somewhat marked, and the tail became longer. But in the em bryo of man there was the greatest change, but with this difference between it and that of the dog, that in the human embryo the tail developed by gniwing gradually shorter. So with the theory itseli: the more you look at it tie less it grows: 4 developes “by growing gradually shorter.” Small by degress aud beautifully less. —The Southern Christian Advocate, (Charleston, S. C.) reaches the root of the matter: It is all nonsense to talk of legal enact ments to suppress outrages which public opinion allows to go “unwhipt of justice.” The trouble is, we have not recovered from war's demoralization. Human life is held at too cheap a price. Judges and juries have been too much inclined to make allow ances for the beat of passion, aggravating eirvumsumcet,'undoes Ixciiement, and the like. The press has been al ogether too tame upon the subject. It has rather been too anxious to pand-r to the sensational taste of the dav, forgetful of the higher duty it owed to soebty, ever to rai e its voice in no unmeaning tom-s against ou rage in whatev er shape or fom whatever source it may come. Just what The Index has been pay ing all the time! —The Episcopal Methodist, (Balt.) preaches a very sound theology in the following sentences: Our Church does not teach that men are adopted into the family of God befo-e r<-g-n« eration; forthat would be to teach that God received into his family unrenewed men, or those who w« re still pressed of a sinful na ture There can be no safer condition than th it which involves a change from sin unto holimss We can well remember when this was not the doctrine preached by the Methodist brethren in our neighbor hood, and we suspect that some of them would scarcely agree to it now. But we are glad to shake hands with our Baltimore brother, and hope that among his people there are many more of the same sort. —The Presbyterian (Phil.) forgets itself thus: If the yellow fever and p'ague both would break in among the politicians it might be a blessing And if some considerable part would go the way of their more deserv ing fellow-citizens in the last plague, it might be a blessing in disgui-e. The fact would be wor hy < fa place in our next No vember Thanksgiving sermons. Our usually sober-minded brother, sometimes gets out of patience, and on this occasion has, we think, spoken unadvisedly with his pen. His refer ence is chiefly or wholly to Southern politicians; but if we can bear with his politicians we think he might bear with ours. If all the politicians North and South were made better men by the sweet influence of God's truth and of his Spirit, we should like to join in the “Thanksgiving Services.” The Independent, (N. Y.) thinks it a pity that a few of the rebels had not been hanged. Wo are sorry for the Independent. His frame of mind ap pears to be unsanctified, and if so he must be very unhappy. For our part we lamented that the loss of life was so great, and are surprised that any should wish there had liccn more. —The Lutheran Standard, (Colum bus, Ohio) makes a good point: One gets the impression, in reading a cer tain class of liberal writers, that in their es timation the essence of Christianity lies sim ply in the exercise of certain affections, whatever may be the object, so that if we only love somethmg heartily and call that some thing God, all is well. To them the doc trine of the Trinity is wholly indifferent, as according to their theory it answers just ■ as well to love a god of our own devising as 1 to l«>ve the God who haa revealed Himself .in Holy Scriptures. Religion is with them a kind of spiritual gymnastics, whose whole virtue lies in the exercise. That such peo ple cannot see anything but bigotry end un charitableness in earnerly contending for the faith once deliverer! to the saints, is quite natural. Seeing no need of Christ, how could, they appreciate the value of the true faith?