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Many good and strong things were said in be
half of
MISSIONS
During the Session of tho
Southern Baptist Convention.
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ESTABLISHED 1821.
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Remittances by check preferred; or regie
tored letter, money order, postal note.
Exceedingly little was done by Con.
gress before the holidays. The country
is now looking for some active work and
good results.
Speaker Crisp is reported by the New
York World as saying that both a ma
jority of democrats in both houses favor
an early extra session of Congress, lim
ited in Its objects. In his judgment
there would be no difficulty in securing
«n early adjournment of an early extra
session, if one should be called.
Each aAutcli and its Sunday school
should have'sumo definite plan of mak.
ing offerings. The plan adopted and
found to work successful ihould be used
also by the Sunday school. If your
church and school have not as j’H
adopted some plan do not lot this, the
firstmonth of the new year pass away
before you have one in successful
operation.
While we do not agree with President
Elliott, of Howard college on all his
views upon the subject of immigration,
we do indorse him in the following:
I deny that such political and social
evils as we suffer from are to be justly
attributed to recent immigrants. It is
the experienced voters, and not the in
experienced, who are responsible for
weak or bad legislation and administra
tion. It is not new immigrants who buy
votes, or who pass the tariff acts which
inevitably breed vote-buyers, Our no
torious spoilsmen and political machin
ists have been sometime in this country.
— <-
It w-» an interesting scene on Prior
street just before Christmas arrived to
see vehicle after vehicle loaded with
something for the poor and driven away-
A stranger from an Eastern city looked
intently on the scene for some mo
ments. Turning to a friend he said, “I
do not wonder now at tho prosperity
and growth of Atlanta. A people so
considerate of the poor, and so charita
ble will always be prospered by the God
who dispenses blessing and prosperity
to a people. Perhaps no city is in ad
vance of Atlanta in the remembrance of
the poor and needy.
Very mistaken ideas prevail with
many about heresy trials. When a
man teaches or preaches doctrinal error
and he is called to account the Central
Baptist very correctly says such investi
gation is not intended to decide whether
he shall think ;»nd speak as he chooses,
but whether he shall retain his connec
tion with the church and denomination
or college and yet teach false doctrine.
This is a free country and every man is
at liberty to hold his own opinion, but
no man is at liberty to retain his con
nection with any organization, with
which he is not in sympathy and against
whose creed he is arrayed. For instance,
if the pastor of a Baptist church should
bold and teach sprinkling as baptism
the presbytery of investigation would be
called, not to decide whether it is his
right to believe as he does, but to de
cide whether tho charges against him
are true, and in case of conviction, to
recommend tho severance of connection
between him and the church of which
ho is pastor.
At the resent session ot the South
Carolina Baptist convention Dr. A. E.
Dickinson raised the question whether it
is necessary for the Home and Foreign
mission boards to publish the Home
Field and Foreign Mission journal -
The Baptist Courier represents him as
saying “Let me say a word, if you please.
Here arc on this floor the editors of thir
teen Baptist weekly newspapers, and
every one of us are anxious to got the
uew - s which our Missiou Boards and our
Sunday-school Board want to pnt into
the hands of of our people, young and
old. If one-tenth of the labor spent in
preparing matter for the Foreign Mis
sion Journal and the Home Field were
given to supp’. tag such matter to tho
Baptist weekly papers, it will be far bet
ter for the Boardsand for nil concerned.
Why keep up these monthlies when the
work could bo done far better by tho
weeklies? I am not saying this be
cause I happen to bo connected with one
of the latter, but because in my inmost
soul I believe we are making a groat
mistake in this matter. Think of it
brethren, and let us do what is best to
be done.”
Tho Legislaluro passed a bill at tho
recent session, looking to elevating tho
standard of our public schools. The bill
provided that in addition to what is now
taught, should be taught tho constitu
tions of Georgia and tho United btates
JBljr (tljristian fniicr.
history, physiology and hygiene. Gov
ernor Northen vetoed tho bill because it
was contradictory in that it named the
branches to be taught and then author
ized teachers to be licensed, who upon
examination are found to be incompe
tent to teach them.
Tho Governor very properly says: If
the children in a community are entitled
under tho law to receive instruction in
treatises on tho constitution of Georgia
and the constitution of tho United
States, history, physiology and hygiene,
tho teachers licensed to give instruction
in tho public schools ought certainly to
be competent to teach these branches.
Otherwise the pupils will be, by law, de
nied tho right the law itself has guaran
teed to them.
“It is bad policy to license teachers
who are known to be incompetent to
give instruction in a large part of the
studies authorized to be taught.
“WRONG AND DANGEROUS.”
In tie issue of December Bth, un
der the caption of ‘Wrong and Dan
gerous,’ Brother Webb is pleased to
give the readers of the- Index an
epistle touching the subject of Bap
tist Associations and Churches ‘peti
tioning’ and ‘memorializing’ the law
making powers of the government
“favoring” and “opposing” measures
of importance for the general weal.
He candidly says, the views ad
vanced are submitted for the faith
ful consideration of his brethren. I
demur respectfully to his conclu
sions and seriously question his logic.
It is proper to say, I do not know
the brother.
His article was written for your
readers, because of the action of an
■ Association, passing a resolution to
memorialize the present session of
the Georgia Legislature to defeat the
effort to give incorporated cities and
towns control es-the liquor question.
As to the merits of th\ legis
lation, we have nothing to pay, how
ever, he says citizens, a town coun
cil, a grand jury or a political con
vention may invoke the State to en
act certain measures; but with con
siderable assurance, he declares “a
church is no part of the government
is not amenable to government nor
the government to it. A church is
Rot entiilA to a vote, dor any repre
sentation.” These assertions are
somewhat random, and disconnec
ted. lie seems to argue because a
church is no part of the government,
it is not amenable to government.
Exactly where he learned the fact
that a church is not amenable to gov
ernment, we would like to know. If
your correspondent is the pastoi of
a Baptist Church, and sb. Add so far
influence his church as to get that
church to pass resolutions that Mon
day should be, and that Sunday
should Rot be a day of rest, and then
practice it, he would learn from the
action of the next grand jury acting
under the charge of the Judge of the
Superior Court, that he and his
church were amenable to govern
ment. If a church were in their
church capacity to organize and pnt
in force any treasonable action a
gainst the government, State or Fed
eral, he would very soon learn that
churches are amenable to govern
ment to the same extent of criminal
liability, as an individual, a political
convention, a grand jury, or a town
council would be, if they were to be
so foolish as to commit the same of
fences against the government and
good morals.
The fact is, churches and church
members are amenable to govern
ment in the same way and to the
same extent as other organizations
and their members are. This state
ment is so axiomatic that proof
would bo superfluous. Again he
says, “This practice of churches is a
bad one and tends to undoing the
great work, which the Baptists have
always done in behalf of religious
liberty and the entire separation of
church and state.” Let us see, if we
understand him, the practice of
churches and associations in memo
rializing Legislatures and Congresses
or constitutional conventions he says
is bad, and tends to undo what Bap
tists have practiced in their past his
tory. Perhaps so, but if he is right,
we have not read the same history.
In the Colonial history of our gov
ernment we learn that most of the
colonies had laws passed allowing
them to control the spiritual inter
est of the people. This intolerance
was peculiar in Massachusetts and
Virginia. Dr. Armitage in his his
history of the Baptists page 777 says:
“in these (Massachusets and Virgin
ia) the influence of the Baptists as
the Champions of religious liberty
was specially felt aa they resisted
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. JANUARY 5, 1893.
the legislative, judicial and execu
tive departments combined.”
“John Proctor a public school
teacher of Boston was appointed to
carry the case to England. He also
drew up a remonstrance to the Leg
islature.”
Dr. A. again says, Warren Associ
ation appointed a committee to seek
redress of grievances for tho Bap
tists and appointed first Hezekiah
Smith, then John Davis their agent
to the Court of Great Brittain.
About tho year 1788, the baptists
of Virginia, New York, Rhode Is
land and Massachusets and other
States made one united effort to se
cure the right of soul liberty unmis
takably incorporated in the constitu
tions of these various states and of the
United States—these glorious results
were accomplished directly by Bap
tists appointing committees armed
with memorials and protests ad
dressed to Legislatures, Congresses
and Constitutional Conventions. As
a matter of political history Patrick
Henry defeated Mr. Madison for the
United States Senate because he
doubted Mr. Madison’s soundness
touching these amendments as de
manded by the Baptists.
About the year 1789, the Baptists
of Virginia formulated an address to
the President of the United States
on the subject of their personal re
ligious rights and General Washing
ton made a most respectful reply.
It would do every Baptist good to
read that response, but it is too long
to copy in such an article as this.
And as a result of Baptists’ associa
tions, and committees memorializing
congress, this article was added by
amendment.
“Congress should make no law re
specting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof.”
The exercise of the right of memori
alizing a State Legislature or the
Congress of the United States for or
against any pending bill is not dicta
tion to the government and has nev
er b“cn so regarded by the States
men of this or any other day. This
sacred right is incorporated into the
constitution of the U. S. and the con
stitution at the same time has forever
set the seal of disapprobation upon
the union of church and state.
T have read of straining at a gnat
and swallowing a camel.
J. G. McCall.
How gratified we ought to be, as
we contemplate our institutions of
learning. The Chicago University,
Southern Baptist Theological Semi
nary, The Rochester school and many
more that are grand institutions—
and as claimed—for the higher edu
cation of our ministerial students.
How pleasing the prospect that
our Baptist Ministry have privileges
equal to every demand, and oppor
tunities for the highest attainments
in the ministry. The student whose
heart is aflame with desire to preach
the unsearchable riches of Christ and
at the same time casting about for
the means of reaching the highest
abilities for accomplishing his pur
pose.
Now if such student lived in Mis.
souri, of course, he would enter Wm.
Jewell College. The Theological de
partment of this school is largely
maintained by contributions sought
immediately from . the brethren
through the agency of an “agent for
ministerial education.”
If he is successful in his pursuits
he graduates in seven years perhaps,
and generally speaking he goes at
once to the seminary at Louisville
and then commences again the solic
iting process for funds to maintain
our Missouri boys in the Seminary.
Well, of course, as long as this
continues to be the rule I see no
way out of the difficulty and tho
young men who finally get through
realize that it has been so largely by
the benilicence of others.
It strikes me that our misterial
student who has completed the
Theological curriculum and that it
has taken seven years to do this;
that to put into practical use the
training gained by preaching for a
few years, thus gaining a practice
found nowhere else and at tho same
time recuperating lost energies suffi
cient for another seige; and also
obtaining pecuniary recomponco for
his labors sufficiently to pay his ex
penses at the seminary and thereby
gaining a consciousness that he has
not been a beneficiary for his entire
education. *
I do not believe that one dollar of
money ought to bo collected from
Missouri Baptists to aid ministerial
students who have completed the
Wm. Jewell course. To obtain the
highest results there' must be a res
toration of lost vitality superinduced
by a seven years course while gain
ing this needed energy for further
study. Money enough ought to be
accumulated to pay all further out
lays. T. M. S. Kenney.
Boonville, Mo.
THE HOUSE OF GOD.
BY S. G. HILL YER.
The house of God is a very pecu
liar structure. It is not built of
bricks and mortar, or of stones cut
from the mountain quarry. God did
permit Solomon to build for him
such a house in Jerusalem, to take
the place of the old and faded Taber
nacle. And the Lord promised to
dwell with Israel there, as long as
they should keep his commandments.
But this house, with all its gorgeous
ritual, was but a shadow— a type, of
another house which was yet to
come. Solomon knew that the house
which he had built, at so much cost,
fell very shyrt of a fit abode for the
great Jehovah. In his dedicatory
prayer he said, “The Heaven of
Heavens cannot contain thee, and
much less this house which I have
builded!” And sure enough, in a
few centuries, that magnificent struc
ture had perished in the flames.
But God has another he use, not
made with human hands. It is a
spiritual house, —“The Church of the
living God, the pillar and ground of
the truth.”
’ What a glorious privilege, what a
distinguished honor it is to be a wel
come inmate of this great house.
Men delight to have access, if only
for an hour, to the parlors of earthly
kings, but these are but poor cot
tages compared with that house not
made with hands, which God has
built upon tho Apostles and Pro
phets, \Jwbus' ng
the chief oorueAdone. The inmates
of this house “holy na
tion, a peculiar people, a royal priest
hood.” Surely then they are lifted
to the highest plane of dignity and
honor known on this earth.
If this be so, it becomes immense
ly important that we should know
how to behave ourselves in the house
of God.
Paul said to Timothy, “These
things have I written unto thee
that thon mightest know how to be,
have thyself in the house of God.”
These words, it is true, were address
ed to a single individual; but it is
easy to generalize them. Every
church member, as well as Timothy,
should know' how to behave them
selves in tho house of God. And
one most important design of all the
teachings of Jesus and his Apostles,
was to teach us this most needful
lesson. Even in human society, it is
found to be very necessary to under
stand good manners. When invited
to attend an entertainment in a
friend’s house, people usually put on
their best attire, and conform care
fully to the established rules of social
life. It is this sentiment which helps
to promote refinement and culture
among men and women, and to in
tensify our social pleasures. But in
finitely more important it is to know
how to behave ourselvesin thatsocioty
which includes the inmate* of tho
house of God.
To enter this holy circle, we do
not need to deck ourselves in out
ward costly apparel. The way is
thrown open as wide for the poor
mendicant as for the millionaire.
And yet, there is needed, for admis
sion, a toilet, if you please, which
transcends insplendorall thetrappings
of an earthly court. It is woven with
the out-givings of our spiritual af
fections towards God; and it is dis
played in all the beauties of the Chris
tian character. Such is the indis
pensable dress that makes one neet
for the house of God, “which” let us
not forget, "is tho church of tho liv
ing God, tho pillar and ground of tho
truth.
Let us now consider how wo
should behave ourselves in the house,
the church of God. Human society
has adopted, for itself, a code of po
liteness and good manners, which is
very useful in regulating our world
ly social intercourse. It rules the
toilet,it smooths away the ruggedness
of conversation with its beautiful
euphemisms, in a word, it enforces
tho X recognixed conventionalities of
society. It may do all this, and yet
exert no moral effect upon character.
A man may be a very Chesterfield
in manners, and yet devoid of good
ness. As Shakespear pithily re
marks, “One may smile, and smile,
and be avi Ilian.” We expect better
things of those who are inmates of
the house of God. Their rules of
conduct are not mere conventionali
ties. They are founded upon the
immuitablo principles of right. They
reflect the beauty and the perfections
of Him who is tho great proprietor
of His own house. They are given
to us by His authority, in tho teach
ings of Jesus and his inspired Apos
tles. And, better than all, we see
them most perfectly' exemplified, in
the pure and spotles life of our greats
Redeemer. I need not repeat them
here. They are accessible to every
reader, and they plainly tell us how
wo should behave ourselves in the
house of God. Remembe, the church
member is, always and every where 4
within the house of God. No mat
ter where he may be—at home or
abroad, alone, or in company, in the
week or on Sunday, he is a church
member, and is bound to observe
thes divinely appointed rules of
Christian deportment.
The obligation to observe these
rules is emphasized most forcibly
when we consider that the “Church
is the pillar and ground of the truth.”
The Apostles hero use the word
“church”-in a collective sense. But
what is true of the whole, is true of
all its parts. Each local church is a
pillar and ground of the truth. Nor
does this important function depend
upon its members, its wealth, or its
culture; but solely upon the lives of
its members. Just here it is well to
notice that the churches are all upon
one level of equality before God.
Whereever a company of baptized
believers have found Christian fellow
ship for each other, and have united
together under their own pastor and
iKaooue, anu upon’ »uu' faiCii <"IT0
Gospel, for the service of God, and
for their spiritul growth and edifica
tion, there is a church of Christ com
ploto in its structure, its privileges
and its functions. It is God’s house
for every one of its members, and to
the extent of its influence, it is the
“pillar and ground of the truth.’
The terms “pillar” and “ground” are
metaphors. And they present to us
the church as a foundation which
upholds the fabric of truth that rests
upon it, and the solid strength of that
foundation is found under God, in
the right behavior of its members.
But there is another figure which
also emphasizes the neccessity of ho
ly living. In John’s vision in the
Isle of PaotmoSjhe saw “seven golden
candle sticks;” and we learn that the
candle sticks represented the seven
churches of Asia Minor. Dr. Jesse
Mercer, in commenting upon this
passage, called upon the people to no
tice that the candle sticks were all
made of gold. The churches might
have differed in numbers, in wealth,
in culture and even in efficiency; but
they were all of pure gold, i. e., all
were equally dear to Him who walk
ed in tho midst of them. How com
forting this is to small, weak, obscure
churches! How gladly wo ukl I send
to all such, a word of cheer and en
couragement! Lift up your heads
my brethren! The little flock to
which you may belong, the Master
calls a “Golden candle stick.”
Now a candle stick is not itself the
light, but its function is to hold up
the light. Paul exhorts his Philip
pian brethren to live as “the sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of
a crooked and perverse nation, among
whom ye shine as lights in the world
holding forth the word of life.”
Here we learn that the word of life,
(which is tho Gospel), is the light
which is committed to tho churches,
to be by them held forth, that they
shine as lights in the world.
But how are they to hold it forth?
They can do it only in the pure and
upright lives of their members. Re
member, Christ is tho light,—the true
light, and the medium, through which
it shines, is his Gospel, tho “word of
life' which every saint must illustrate
in the beauty of his character, then
his “light will so shine, that others
seeing his good works shall glorify
our Father which is in Heaven.
And thus we see how every church
member should behave himself in the
“House of God.
78 Wheat st. Atlanta.
BUT FOUR MONTHS AND THEN—-
WHAT?
Brethren of Georgia.—Four
months more and the limit of the
Centennial year—as set by the South
ern Baptist Convention, will be
reached. Has tho amount assigned
to your great State, of nearly 143.-
000 white Baptists, been raised?
825.000, in addition to your regular
contributions for Foreign and Home
missions, may seem a large sum to
raise when times are hard and prices
are low. But it is an old saying,
and a true one, that “many hands
make light work.” Your appoint
ment of this 8250.000 Centennial
fund averages but about 17| cents
per pocket, for your people. That
does not seem a very heavy burden.
Even in a family when there are 10
of them members of the church, and
the father must give for tho 10, it is
but 81.75. Even if that should be
beyond the reach of many such fam
ilies, which is hardly the case, for
the reason that there are very few
families that have ten of their num
•ber members of the one church, in
which there are not several of this
number who could pay their own
individual part. Then over against
such a possible fact there are hun
dreds of families where but two or
three of the family are included in
the. membership of your churchhs,
and to these families God has given
the ability to give ten times 174
cents for each one of the househol d
whether members of the church or
not. There are individuals in your
churches who could give this 17£
cents over and over hundreds of
times. The question, in isolated
cases, may bo one of ability, but in
nearly every ordinary case it is sim
ply a question of inclination. God
has given you the means. How can
any child of God, who feels the
worth of souls at home and abroad,
be destitute of the inclination to give
for their evangelization when the
opportunity is put before them as it
is in the appeals that are beard on
i c.tV*■> Aid-.!
But the year is nearing its close.
What we do should be done quickly.
It is becoming an interesting ques
tion what shall the outcome of these
remaining four months be? Success
or failure? We can’t afford to fail
brethren. We need not. If we do it
will be because we did not care
enough for the movement to make
it a success. That this is the fact I
shall not believe till I am compelled
to, and then with shame-facedness. I
can’t believe our people in the south
are not interested enough to give,
over and above their regular offer
ings for Home and Foreign mission
work, as a thank offering to God for
the work of modern missions, 8250.-
000, or at the rate of 19 cents and a
fraction for each one of our 1,282,221
Baptists of the South. When we
have individual brethren and sisters>
who are going from 8500, to 85.000
of this amount, shall it go out to the
world that while Great Britain,
with but a few over 300.000 Bap
tists, all told, has raised over 8500,-
000, while the Baptists of the south,
numbering more than a million ami
a quarter, can’t raise one-half what
Great Britain has raised? That while
our English brethren could raise
nearly 81.05 per member, wo failed
to raise ninteen cents per member-
Who can think foramoment that the
means of our brethren in Great Brit
ain excell the ine.'tns of our people
more than eight fold? That is ab
surd. Why the aggregate wealth of
our more than one million and quar
ter Baptists excells that of our breth
ren over the Sea many times. But
four months of our Centennial year
remain. What then? Success or a
mortifying failure? Which?
F. M. Ellis.
HAS ANY ONE GORE TO HEAVEN?
This question was answered affirm
atively in the Index a few weeks
ago. But Dr. Dobbs will please ex
cuse me for contradicting his deliv
erance on this subject.
I maintain that all who have died
in faith have gone to a heaven but
not to the heaven.
It is true that the sainted dead are
with Christ, but this does not neces
sarily putthem in the highest heaven.
Christ is everywhere. He is with
the Father on his right hand and at
the same time he is with the disem
bodied spirits in Hades. The sainted
dead cannot reach their ultimate
glory in the disembodied state. Paul’s
desire to depart and be with Christ
Brother Minister,
Working Layman,
Zealous Sister
Wo are striving to make
Tlio liklojc
tho best of its kind* Help us by securing a
new subscriber.
VOL. 70—NO. 1.
does not imply that, the sainted dead
were entered into the final state, the
highest heaven, and full enjoyments
and service of the perfected and
glorified. Wo shall not be perfect
and perfectly glorified, until after
our bodies have been raised and wo
shall have been changed and have
put on tho glorious body of our
Lord.
A final judgment is an unmeaning
thing or, a mere formality, if tho
saints after having been sent to tho
heaven shall bo called back and re
judged and resent to/' - heaven in
which they are already.
No, no one has gone to the heaven .
of the completely blest yet, although
every believer after death is with
Christ and is in a happy condition.
In proof of this position read the
following Scriptures: And no nan
hath ascended into heaven, but he
that descended out of heaven, even
the Son of man which is in heaven
John 3:13.
For this wo say unto you by the
word of tho Lord, that we that are
alive, that are left unto tho coming
of the Lord shall in no wise precede
them that are fallen asleep. N. V.
1 These. 4: 15. 16. 17. But if the
dead are already in the heaven, they
have preceded us, the living, and
those who shall remain and be alive
at the coming of the Lord. Whereas
the Scripture teaches that we shal
all go to heaven together, and at the
same time.
Further Peter declared on the day
of Pentecost: David is not ascended
into the heavens. His bones and
ashes were in his sepulchre on that
day, and nobody ever pretended that
David had risen. Now if David Las
not arisen and ascended into the
heaven, then, nobody has.
Christ has not yet ended his medi
atorial reign and not until then, shall
he return to hrs original relations
with the Father. Then the end shall
eojn<>. a»<l after judgnm/u, he shall
say, come, ye biased -I my Father.
It would be idle to ( <• come, if
1 ■ 1,1
I have wriften this without
Dobbs’ answer before me. I, 0
sorry that I lost it, otherwise,
should have replied more fully.
C. K. Henderson. 1
Woodlawn, Ala.
A LOG BOLLING.
• My father lived in the country
where “log rollings” were in fashion.
In the heavily timbered districts lhe
farmer could not cope with the mass
ive forests alone but his neighbors
were invited on a given day to join
their labors on some selected wood
land. They met in the early morn
ing to combine their strength in piling
the logs into great heaps th: t they
might be burned out of the way of
the plowman. These “log rollings”
were joyous seasons. The strong
young men would try each other's
strength at the hand-spike all day
long. They sang happy songs and
made the heaviest of work a frolick
At night they gathered at the farm
house with tiiu young women who
had been quilting ami cooking all
day long, and spent the evening in
innocent amusement, at least tolera
bly innocent.
Tho corn shucking was another
occasion of great pleasure. Whoa
tho corn had been gathered from the
fields ami heaped up under the shed
all the neighbors were invited to
come and husk at this farm yard to
day, at another to-morrow, until the
entire settlement crop had been put
away for future use. Ear by ear we
pulled the husks from the corn with
nimble fingers counting the blue
grains and the red with some favor,
ite girl in a race to see who would
find the most and claim a pawn the
redemption ol which often paid well
for the day’s work.
The wheat threshing was another
season of mutual helpfulness that
cemented friendships and made life’s
greater burden’s light by a combina
tion of forces. When the wheat
was stacked in place and tho gearing
of the old machine was put in good
repair ami well greased, all the neigh
bors formed a kind of threshing
company that went from stock
yard to stockyard and assist
ed each other in running
tho laborious machine that thresh
ed their wheat. I remember that
we boys never grew tired of any of
these public workings. We worked
harder and endured more than in
uuy other employment with fur less