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CM k a -- __r» S Mr Afa^wß\l ■jVvjß* ■ . j ■ ■ #/ ■ ■? W Owl 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.