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VOL. 59.
Table of Contents.
Pint Page—Alabama Department: Religion
and Intellect; God’s Historians ; Baptist
Re fleeter— Amende Honorable—Dr. Hills
man ; The Religious Press.
Second Page—Correspondence: James Shan
non—J. H. Campbell; The Possibilities of
the Negro Race—H. 0. H.; Monthly Olive
Branch—J. W. L.: Sketches of Foreign
Countries— Prussia. Missionary Depart
ment
Third Page—Children’s Corner: Under His
Eye—poetry; Signal Lights; A Resolute
Boy; “If You PleaseA Boy’s Faith.
The Sunday'School—Lesson for May 15th :
The Rich Man and Lazarus.
Fourth Page—Editorials: More of the Con
flict; The Convention on Temperance;
Georgia Baptist News; Delegates to South
ern Baptist Convention.
Fifth Page—Secular Editorials: News Para
graphs ; Literary Notes and Comments;
Sketch of Jere N. Moore, of the Milledge
ville Union and Recorder; Georgia News.
Sixth Page—The Household Department:
Thank God for the Bible—poetry; Cross
Christians; What a Mother Did.: The
Month of May—poetry (illustrated); Short
Rules For Long Comfort at Home; etc.
Obituaries.
Seventh Page—The Farmer’s Index: Farm
Work for May; The Spring of 1849; The
Sorghum Business; etc.
Eighth Page—Florida Department: Florida
Facts, Fancies and Figures; Extracts from
Minutes, etc.
Alabama Department.
BY BA.MUBIL. HENDERSON.
RELIGION AND INTELLECT.
Some years ago a writer in the Con
temporary Review, alluding to the “Con
fessions of St. Augustine,” says: “With
many men, conversion is the abdica
tion, but with him (Augustine) it is
the consummation of reason." If by
“conversion” he means the adoption of
some phases of what is called the
Christian religion, Roman Catholicism,
for instance, we shall not contest the
proposition. But if, by this term, he
means the intelligent acceptance of the
“truth as it is in Jesus,” it will be difficult
for the most subtile reasons to show
how that truth can abdicate that in
. man which it is adapted above all
other things to strengthen, enlarge and
purify. It is an accepted truth that
the human mind always takes the di
mensions as well as the moral coloring
of the subjects it is accustomed habit
ually to entertain. If they are little
and mean, they will dwarf and demor
alize the mind. If they are grand and
ennobling, they will expand and elevate.
Ministers of state are never chosen
from the ranks of those who loaf
around streets, and occupy their whole
time in town or country gossip. Great
questions of state policy are not solved
by mere babies in intellect. Now,
what is there in the truths of the Bible,
truths which constitute the very essence
of the Christian religion, to abdicate
the reason of any man? Is it found
in the nature of the truths revealed?
Why, they are of all truths in the world
the grandest and the most exciting?
They come home to our hearts and
minds with an urgency of appeal which
can only be resisted by purblind de
pravity.
They inspire profound thoughts,
which no earth-born topics can do. Is
it in the oft reiterated command to
read and study this compend of truth
that comes from the very bosom of
eternity? Why, the command itself
is but a summons to all the mental
and moral capacities of man to put
forth their last efforts in searching its
contents as for “hidden treasures,”
with the assurance that our efforts will
be rewarded with riches that are above
rubies. Tell us that when a man be
comes a farmer, he abdicates his ener
gy—when he becomes a soldier, he ab
dicates his courage—when he becomes
an artist, he abdicates his skill—when
he becomes a poet, he abdicates his
imagination —tell us anything at which
our reason revolts and our judgment
is shocked, but say not that for any
man to become a Christian in any
proper sense of that term, that he ab
dicates his reason. A thousand to one
we had better say, that not to be a
Christian is an abdication of reason.
Not to be a Christian is to betray that
moral insanity that calls darkness light
and light darkness, bitter sweet, and
sweet bitter—is to substitute time for
eternity, sin for righteousness, the crea
ture for the Creator, the service of the
devil for the service of God; in one
word, it is to invert every principle of
SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. 1
or Alabama.
interest and duty, and maintain a per
petual war against reason; because
nothing can be more reasonable than
that the creature should love and wor
ship the Creator and love his brethren
as himself. And yet this is pure and
undefiled religion. This is the sum of
all its duties as taught by our Lord
himself.
There are two things, among the
many, that the religion of Jesus Christ
accomplishes for us, which transcend
the power of any other agency to do.
The one is, the enlargement of the
compass of our knowledge—the other
is, the proper regulation of our passions.
These two things act and react upon
each other—they become mutual
cause and effect the one to the other.
There is that in the “excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus, our
Lord," that holds in check "the lusts
of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and
the pride of life,” all our passions and
emotions; and there is that in the due
regulation and purity of our passions,
which clears our mental vision for the
vast outlook over the fields of this
knowledge. Let us devote a paragraph
or two to these points in detail.
We know that much depends upon
the character of the knowledge we ac
quire in its effect upon our minds, in
expanding our capacities,and equipping
us for the stern duties of life. What
ever sets one to thinking especially on
the great problems of life, must of nec
essity expand the mind. When our
Lord compares himself to a sower, and
the truths he was uttering to seed, it
was as we may say, a prophetic hint as
to the germinal power of the seed to
multiply indefinite harvests of thoughts,
from sanctified genius, through all
coming time, as well as the multiplica
tion of converts to his cause. We be
lieve it was Montaigne,a French author,
who once said of a book, singularly
abounding in seed-thoughts, that if you
would pierce it it would bleed. But
what book can compare with God’s
book in this respect? Os what gener
ation since the days of Christ, has it
not been the great Heaven light? Rest
assured, reader, it has been the “con
summation of reason” to myriads of
people beside Augustine. Its infinite
fulness is such as to supply, as-David
expresses it, “a thousand generations,”
and even then it will be a “river which
no man can pass over.” Art, science,
philosophy, poetry, statesmanship,
everything that marks the civilization
of the world, to change the figure, hav
ing borrowed their light and heat from
this grand central sun, will, like the
sheaves in Joseph’s dream,circle s. jund
this grand central, life-giving power,
and do obeisance to it, bringing their
richest gems to increase its lustre.
Its power to control and regulate the
passions will scarcely be questioned.
Nothing so prepares a man to prosec
ute any legitimate calling in life suc
cessfully as to have all his passions in
proper subordination to his reason and
judgment. It is their improper in
dulgence which beclouds the under
standing, pervers the judgment, sears
the conscience—in one word, stultifies
all the powers of the mind and per
verts all the affections of the heart.
Their empire over the mind must be
broken, before it can enter upon any
thing like a successful career of useful
ness or enjoyment. “Greater is he that
ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a
city,” says the wise man. And why?
Because we are our own greatest en
emy ; so that when we conquer our
selves, there remains no other enemy
that can overtax our efforts. In conquer
ing ourselves, we conquer everything
else that lies in the way of any laudable
ambition.
GOD’S HISTORIANS.
Any one who will set himself to the
task of reading the historical .books of
the Old Testament, and the New Tes
tament as well, and enters properly
into the spirit of the narratives, will
come away from the task with at least
one decided impression, and that is,
that the writers of these histories were
as fully persuaded of the truth of what
they wrote as the most transparent
integrity and candor ever was while
deposing under oath in a court of jus
tice. There is a particularity and
straightforwardness in every line whol
ly inconsistent with any other theory
than that they wrote “as moved upon
by the Holy Ghost.” A recent re-
THE FRANKLIN STEAM PRINTING HOUSE.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA,* THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1881.
reading of most of these books has fix
ed the conviction still more profound
ly upon our mind, that “all Scripture is
given by inspiration of God.” We
have failed to detect the mere “human
element" in any part of it, save only
that God employed human pens
to write all of it. The lights
and shades of Jewish life—the good
and the bad—are put down with just
that kind of unconscious impartiality
that we would all naturally impute to
men who were holding the pen under
the dictation of a power which they
could not resist. Like Balaam, who
was employed by Balak to curse Israel,
they are put under arrest by an au
thority which command* obedience.
As a “house full of silver and gold”
could not biibe Balaam to "curse whom
God hath blessed,” so no threat of
power, or hope of reward ever swerved
these holy men from delivering their
messages, or writing down the truth.
Interfused with these historical books,
are many of the moat important reve
lations ci doctrine and duty, of prom
ises and threatenings, of precepts and
prophecy, which the whole Bible con
tains. What flashes of ■ light are
thrown out by Samuel, Elijah and Eli
sha! to say nothing of others. And
yet these characters dovetail into these
histories so vitally as to indicate the
integrity of the whole. They are like
so many grand sentinels stationed
along the line of sacred story to, guard
it froth all unsanctified intrusion, and
to stamp it with the signet of divine
truth. Let us rest our faith here, as
sured that “no advanced thought” of
human nescience can ever unsettle the
landmarks of divine Omniscience. We
are.not alarmed at the prospect that
the pigmies of a day are likely to ad
vance their thoughts very far above or
beyond “God’s thoughts.” We can
scarcely think that the glow-worms of
science are likely to put out the great
sun-light of divine truth. We shall
hope and believe that the faith of God’s
elect is on a foundation, not “partly
human and partly divine,” like the
huge image in Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream, “part of iron and part of clay,”
but built on the Rock of Ages. We
shall adhere to the declaration of one
of these inspired men, recognizing his
words as applicable to all the amanuen
ses of the Spirit, “And my speech and
my preaching was not with the entic
ing words of man’s wisdom, but in de
monstration of the Spirit, and of pow
er : that your faith should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God.”
BAPTIST REFLEUTOR-AMENDjE
HONORABLE-DR. HILLMAN.
A short time ago, we took occasion
to welcome the advent of the Baptist
Reflector, of Tennessee, to our sanctum,
and by some strange oversight we
omitted to mention the name of our
brother, Rev. J. B. Chevis, as editor-in
chief and proprietor. It was like per
forming “Hamlet, with Hamlet left
out.” We beg our brother’s pardon
for the inadvertance, and assure him
that it was wholy accidental on our
part, and that we have restored the
missing “lens” to our optics. The
truth is, where oldafriends are involved,
we are often “blind of one side.” We only
saw the two friends, whose names have
been for so many years as familiar to
us as “household words,” Hillsman and
Montgomery, all three of us having
been reared in the same section of that
Switzerland of our country, East Ten
nessee. Perhaps our brother Chevis is
sometimes compassed with the like
infirmity—if so, he will readily excuse
it in us.
While speaking of the Reflector,
we beg to reciprocate the kindly
notice of us from the pen of Dr. Hills
man, a notice dictated rather by the
partiality of friendship on his part than
merit on our part. An acquaintance
of forty-five years, unmarred by a sin
gle riffle, although our paths have often
met under circumstances of no little
responsibility, has greatly endeared us
to each other. We remember well his
visit to our father’s house on the occa
sion to which he refers, accompanied,
as we recollect, by that grandest
preacher East Tennessee ever gave to
our denomination, the saintly, silver
tongued Samuel Love, who died early,
and who was then the pastor of the
church, we believe, to which brother
H. belonged. We remember him
while he sojourned and preached in
Talladega, while we were yet in our
teens, and he had barely attained his
majority, having preceded him to
that place by a few months, in 1835,
and issued the first newspaper ever
printed in that city, of which a few
years after we became the editor. We
have seen his integrity to principle
tested to the very bottom, when it
cost something to stand firm, and to
use the quaint phrase of an old friend,
“he cut yellow to the bone every clip.”
His account of the location of the S. B.
Theological Seminary is true. He and
we led off on that question, when per
haps a different destiny would have at
tended the Seminary. Nor have we
yet seen cause to regret the part we
took on that occasion. On that ques
tion, our sentiments were in unison, as
they have been on so many other ques
tions. Louisville was central, it was
accessible, it was a large city where
young men preparing for the ministry
could exersise their gifts in missionary
work in the place and surrounding
country. And, moreover, while some
sectional animosity still lingered in the
hearts of the people, North and South,
(and even yet does to too great an ex
tent) we looked forward to a time
when this feeling would subside, and
wiien the great Baptist brotherhood
would come to cherish such sentiments
affiliation as would make it the in
an<j, pleasure of all sections to
sustain an institution so essential to the
prosperity of all—and we desired, as a
part of the committee of location, to
take the initiative in a work so impor
tant, and place the Seminary where it
would be accessible alike to all portions
of the country. Then the pecuniary
consideration offered by Kentucky was
not without its weight at that time of
poverty. These were the controlling
considerations canvassed by Dr. Hills
man and ourself in our room at Dr. Bur
ton’s, prior to that session of the com
mittee which decided the matter of
location.
Whether it be an evidence of weak
ness or strength, of good or bad judg
ment, of common sense or eccentricity
in each of us, it has been our hap to
agree in sentiment on nearly all occa
sions on which we have met, either in
public or private capacity, to compare
opinions. And you know, reader, that
we all have a little of that amiable
weakness that leads us to write flown
as sensible those with whom we agree
or those who agree with us; and
we will therefore be pardoned for
this small tribute to the worth of our
dear old friend, Dr. Matt. Hillsman—
a name that we shall ever cherish as
one of the noblest and best that we
have ever met in life’s pilgrimage.
Most heartily do we join him in the
wish with which he closes, that as “we
have both passed into the ‘sear and
yellow leaf,’ we may be faithful to the
end.” How sweet to think that “over
yonder,” when the conflict is past, kin
dred spirits shall meet and mingle in
higher services and under happier aus
pices!
The Standard (Chicago) seldom, or
never, notices The Index, but it de
lights us to copy from its valuable col
umns the following testimony:
“ ‘May God help you regular Baptists to
stand firm!’ Such words come from a can
did Presbyterian divine. The sentiment was
called forth in an examination of Baptist
restricted communion, and when the full
meaning of the struggle burst upon him he
exclaimed : ‘You regular Baptists are fight
ing the battle for us all,’ and then added the
words above. It was Rev. John Hall, D.D.,
who once said: • “If I believed with the
Baptists that none are baptized but those
who are immersed on profession of faith,
then I should with them refuse to commune
with any others.’ And it was another Pedo
baptist clergyman who oncedeclared that an
open-communion Baptist was the most in
consistent sectary on the face of the earth.
The sentimentalism of open communionism,
pure and simple, is something which no
right-minded church man of any denomina
tion desires to see carry the day. The regu
lar Baptist is the true friend of general
Christian progress, ‘even our enemies them
selves being judges.’ ”
Count The Index among the “regu
lars” and enlisted for life. May God
help us “to stand firm.”
A mechanic, writing in defense of his
guild, says : “No mechanic with any man
liness about him, v ill try to undermine an
other, though he endure actual suffering."
That is in marked contrast with a religious
journal which, while loudly boasting of its
superior prosperity, would still seek to un
dermine a co-worker and occupy his place.
—lnterior.
( THE CHRISTIAN HERALD,
( or Tennessee.
The Religious Press.
Does it ever occur to any one that editors
as well as ministers are proper subjects to be
prayed for? A veteran minister in New
England, whose contributions frequently
ennch our columns, presents the matter on
our fourth page in away which shows that
one thoughtful man, at least, has just views
on the subject. We shall presume there are
more like him.—Watch Tower.
More than a year ago The Index
published a leading article on Prayer
for Editors, which was extensively
copied.
The Baptists in France have doubled in
ten years. Within that time the church at
Montbeilard has grown from nine to one
hundred members. Everywhere, as the
Baptists become better known they are
more highly regarded, especially among the
common people. Their tenets are accepted
as scriptural by many identified with other
churches. Dr. Mitchell writes that “among
evangelical Christians of other names, there
is a wide-spread tendency to embrace our
views of baptism in whole or in part,” and
that he is “daily receiving new evidence of
this from the lips of men who are honored
as leaders in the national and free church
es.” Both from Paris and from our church
es in the provinces the cry is for means to
occupy and reap in the fields that are ripe
for the harvest.—Journal and Messenger.
And the Index has long thought
that France is one of the most inviting
.fields for missionary labor in the world.
Strength or Character.—Strength of
character consists of two things—power of
will and power of self-restraint. It requires
two things, therefore to its existence—strong
feelings and strong command over them.
Now it is here we make a great mistake: we
mistake struug feelings for strong character.
A man who bears all before him, before
whose frown domestics tremble, and whose
bursts of fury make the children of the
household quake—because he has his will
obeyed in all things—we call him a strong
man. The truth is, that is the weak man ;
it is his passions that are strong; he master
ed by them, is weak. You must measure
the strength of a man by the power of those
which subdue him. And hence composure
is very often the highest result of strength.
Did we ever see a man receive a flagrant in
sult and only grow a little pale and quietly
reply ? That is a man spiritually strong.
Or did we ever see a man In anguish stand
as if carved out of solid rock, mastering
himself ? Or one bearing a hopeless daily
trial remain silent, and never tell the world
wbat cankered his home peace ? That is
strength. He who with strong passions re
mains chaste; he who keenly sensitive, with
manly powers of indignation in him, can
be provoked and yel.rtsirain himself and for
give—these are the strong men, the spiritual
heroes.
They are actually needed where they are,
and their removal in any considerable num
bers would be a very.senous calamity to the
industries.of the South. They are physically
better fitted for a southern than for a north
ern climate. If properly protected in their
civil and political rights, they are better off
at the South than they can possibly be at the
North or at the West. This c ndition being
supplied, there is absolutely no reason why
they should quit the South for a new home-
If the white people of the South desire to
stop this exodus, all they have to do is to
treat the whole colored man as he ought to
be treated. Recognize his equal citizenship
and rights, and protect them, and he will be
content with bis Southern home, and stay
there. Human nature, even under a black
skin, likes just and fair treatment.
And the Index thinks, 1. That the
departure of a million or two of negroes
from the South would not injuriously
affect its industries. When these la
borers leave, others more efficient will
come to fill their places. 2. That the
negroes are now as well protected in
their civil and political rights at the
South as they ever will he anywhere
else. 3. That the white people of the
South have no occasion to desire the
“ Exodus ”to cease. On the contrary,
if any of our people are dissatisfied, the
sooner they leave us the better. It is a
great blessing to get rid of the discon
tented. They leave their country for
their country’s good.
New York is a magnificent State and
could easily support a million more of
people. We desire our dissatisfied ae
groes, (if there are any), to go there.
We hope those contemporary journals
published in that State will invite them.
It is the fate of many worthy and ambi
tious men to struggle through life to achieve
some distinction, and to die without success.
A man in Connecticut has arrived at high
honors in a manner which might edify such
disappointed aspirants. He began sixteen
years ago by getting drunk, and killing his
brother while in that condition. He was
sentenced to imprisonment for life, As there
was no bar in the prison, he kept sober and
behaved himself. His good reputation in
duced kind people to ask for bis release, and
he was pardoned a few months ago by an act
of the Legislature. He was presented with
a watch and two hundred dollars in money.
Happening to visit the capital when the Leg
islature was in session, be was given a recep
tion in the Governor’s rooin, and was intro
duced to the senators and representatives
and other officials. No wonder the paper
from which we take these facts is puzzled.
“We do not quite make out, "it says,
“ whether the demonstration was on account
of his having survived sixteen years' impris
onment, or his proper behavior during the
time, or his killing his brother in the first
instance.—Watchman.
Now dear brother Watchman, if this
had happened at the South, don’t you
suppose that it would have convinced
a great many people that we South
erners are all barbarians ? Is it not the
custom in your latitude to speak of any
discreditable thing that may happen
here, as a “ specimen indication ” of
the general moral condition of the
Southern people ? We set you a better
example. We do not believe that the
people of Connecticut are as bad as the
facts above stated would seem to indi
cate. But that the Governor and Leg
islature should make a hero and a gen
tleman of this fratricide, is certainly a
wonderful thing.
The age in which we live is singularety
fruitful of expedients to get rid of our old
fashioned Bible, with its simple doctrines of
the depravity and sinfulness of man by na
ture, and of his regeneration through the
faith of God's mercy by Jesus Christ. As a
proof of this, many worn-out pagan notions
which were exploded with the advent of
the Christian philosophy, are nowadays
clothed in new forms of language and rhet
oric by men for whom spiritual insight and
inspiration are claimed; and these notions
from the mummy pits of the past are pro
claimed, with a flourish, as new discoveries
tn the world of religious thought. Now a
truly earnest mind drends to be thought be
hind hand in its preceptions of moral truth ;
and through fear of being looked upon as
old- fogyish and slow, many really good men
have hastily accepted the wildest follies, and
so have made shipwreck of the substantial
Christian hopes which they had long cher
ished.— Zions Herald.
All admirably well said', except the
last sentence. We do not believe that
any “really good men” have “accepted
the wildest follies,” either hastily or
otherwise, nor that they have “made
shipwreck of their hopes” in this way
or in any other way, nor that they ever
will do it, in any way.
Spurgeon in a lecture on Preaching Christ
in aChristly manner, says to preachers:
“Aspire to be understood rather than ad
mired ; seek not to produce a.wondering but
an instructed audience.” We have known
preachers who might take the advice
with advantage to their audiences.—Evan
gelist.
He who preaches for the people or
he who writes for the people should
aim first of all to be understood; if he
attempts to show off his accomplish
ments at the expense of his hearers or
readers, he is unworthy of his calling.
Our brother Paul, speaking on this
subject, says: “I had rather speak five
words with my understanding, that by
my voice I might teach others also,
than ten thousand words in an un
known tongue.” It is a mistake, how
ever, to suppose that an uneducated
man is better able to make things plain
because he is uneducated. Two things
at least are necessary to enable one to
give a clear explanation of anything:
1. A strong and clear conception of all
the facts or truths in the case, with all
their bearings; 2. A complete know
ledge of the exact force of the language.
An uneducated man is not likely to
excel in either of these particulars; an
educated man, if he has good natural
parts, does. A half educated man, if a
little vain, is apt to make a show of
his learning; a thoroughly educated
man can afford not to do this. Hence,
display of learning is an advertisement
of shallow culture, and defeats its own
object. Every man, learned or un
learned, ought to try his best to illus
trate the truth, and not to illustrate
himself. The best teacher is the man,
who has a clear head, a well cultivated
mind and a pure heart. But there is
a strange disposition on the part of
some to put these good qualities to a
man’s discredit. A remarkable illus
tration of this is seen in some of our
negro brethren, who would rather hear
a sermon from one of their own color,
however ignorant and stupid, than to
hear the most lucid exposition that
could possibly be given by a white
man. They say they understand the
negro better. Os course, they deceive
themselves. What they say amounts
to this: that the less a man knows, the
better qualified he is to teach I And
there are men of a fairer complexion
who take virtually the same ground.
Quarantine laws are being enforced
at New’ Orleans against the ports of
Rio Janerio, Vera Cruz, Havana and
Aspinwall, known to be infected with
yellow fever. Vessels from such ports
are to be subject to such detention as
the Board of Health may direct.
NO. 18.
