Newspaper Page Text
ESTABLISHED 1821.
TheChristian'lndex
Published Ev. ry Thursday Cor- Ivy Street
and Edgewood Avenui.
J. C. MCMICHAEL. I’HOPHIKTOH.
Organ of the Baptist Denomination in
Georgia.
ScnscKirTioX Price:
. ... 12.00
One copy, one year. ’
One copy. Six months '•
OBiTi AitiKs.—One hundred words free of
charge. For eiieh extra word, one cent per
word, cash with copy.
To ( oKRKsvosDF.sTS.—Do not useanreM
atlons; be extra careful In writing proper
names: write with Ink. on one side of I»< ’er.
Do not write copy Intended fol the editoi
and business items on same sheet.
off personalities, condense.
Bukin ess.-Write nil nnmes, and post
Offices distinctly. In ordering n cluinge gne
the old ns well ns the new address. The date
of label indicates the time your subscription
expires. If you do not wish it continued, or
der it stopped a week before. We consider
each subscriber permanent until he orders
his paper discontinued. W hen you order it
stopped pay up to date.
Remittances by registered letter, money
order, postal note.
For the Index.
ROMANISM IN SOUTH AMERICA.
BY Z C. TAYLOR.
Concluded from last week.]
The first evangelical mission
ary that went to Brazil was in
1H55. The people were found
without the Bible, many priests
never having read the N. T. nor
perhaps half their churches and
chapels possess one. They pub
lish the Bible only in large and
costly editions to keep it out of
the hands of the people. When
Protestants sell and furnish the
Bible the priests condemn it as
false and therefore command the
people to give it up to the Hames
or destroy it. To be found read
ing the Bible is to be called pro
testant, for no Catholic layman
reads it and no priest without
previous license. The priests
teach the people that it is a vul
gar, immoral book; that it cannot
be read by women or in the fam
ily. They have been known to
extract those passages where
crimes are mentioned, print and
circulate among the men with
such a sentence as the following:
“Is this the reading you wish for
your wives and daughters?" In
stead of the Bible the priests put
into the hands of those who seek
them, prayer books, lives of the
saits, etc., while their colporters
sell only rosaries, beads, cross
es, charms and other supersti
tious trumpery.
Yea, priests and people wor
ship idols of wood and stone, of
gold and of brass. What else
could we expect of a people with
out the Bible? Their idols are
imitations or successors of the
old latin gods. Castor and Pol
lox changed names to Cosnie and
Damion, the sailor’s god. They
have the rain god or saint call
ed St. Barbara. When there is
a drouth they pray to her and
carry the idol in procession.
Sometimes they will threaten the
saint with punishment and have
been known to leave the idol far
away from his pedestal in their
temple down beside the river till
she sends rain! When disease is
prevalent they pray to S. Sebas
tian. carrying the idol in solemn
procession on their shoulders
through the streets and general
ly spread the disease ten times
more. Every profession, art or
principle has its saint, even to
harlots, their St. Onofre. Was
ever pagan idolatry more abom
inable? Their temples and hous
es are full of idols. Shrines are
met with in cities and out in the
mountains or fountains of waters.
About 15 days every year are
general festival days, in which
the principal feature is the pro
cession of idols as large as men
or women bourne on litters,
dressed in silks and decked with
diamonds. Tonsored priests
wail out their songs as dismal
lost spirits, flags and soldiery
surround the idol. At times lit
tle girls dressed as angels with
wings walk before the idol. At
every cross street rockets are
fired into the air: on entering the
temples great bombs are explod
ed sounding like canon.
Widows and orphans in rags
look on that pomp and pageant
and yet Catholics say they are
charitable. The large sums of
money they spend in fire works
and on their idols would build
homes and asylums for all their
poor and give useful employment
to all their orphans and multi
tudes of beggars, over whom you
stumble in all places of public
resort. Rome says she is charit
able here, but in S. A. she has
kept the people in poverty and
put them to beggary. The priests
roll in fat and abundance while
their st r eets are lined with beg
gars. Besides their numerous
temples and chapels they own a
large portion of the land, also
houses, farms, and money in
bank. They have poor houses
and hospitals, but are so badly
managed that most prefer to die
begging than go to them.
But hospitals and poor houses
are necessary evils where sin and
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
crime are most prevalent. Chris
tianity will purify and prosper
the home life and make it so
pleasant that hospitals will be
come nuisances. Prosperity will
so shine on poor Christianity
that the poor house will become
a shame.
When the pope was conquered
and Rome entered in 1870 it was
fount! by the census to contain a
greater percentage of illiterate
and poor than any other city in
Europe. Just so everywhere the
pope most dominates. Rome is
charitable when she finds it ne
cessary to proselyte.
The people are veritable vas
sals of the priests. The consti
tutions of the archbishop of Ba
hia calls the Brazilians his nw»-
sals. They fear the priest, as a
slave his master. Rome rules
not by love but by fear. They
are not taught to obey the truth
and live poor lives for the virtue
and love of it, but for fear of being
caught, of punishment or loss.
Little do the people know of
heaven or its blessedness. Heav
en is a faint idea in their mind.
The priests gospel is purgatory
and hell. Sin is his study—just
how much to sin or not to sin to
be mortal, venal or carnal. Sin
is divided and separated and an
alyzed and while it is considered
dangerous it is relished as a
sweet morsel. Finally sin is made
a small affair, for good works
can erase it. Though a Catholic
lives by gambling or cheating or
immorality he has hopes of es
cape out of pergatory in the
money he leaves thus earned for
masses after he is dead. All this
the priest only professes to
know and be able to save the
people and therefore the abject
slavery that Catholics are kept
in by their priests.
As a rule lay Catholics accept
with welcome the preaching of
the gospel till the priest con
demns it. Even then their sym
pathy continues with us, but they
fear to go against their masters.
If Romanism loves education
here, why does she not educate
in her own Catholic countries?
Only nine in every hundred in
Brazil can read and write and it
is more than the average. In
Equador only two in every
hundred can read. It is estimat
ed that 2() per cent, of the popu
lation of Equador is of priests
and nuns. Not one priest of a
hundred will teach school; they
get all they want out of the
masses they say before break
fast. The rest of the day is
passed in idleness. Literature
is at a discount in those countries.
In the cities hours are passed
looking from the windows to the
loud talk, vulgar manners and
cruel scenes of the streets. Na
ture is so bountiful that in the
country two or three hours work
a day is sufficient to live on; the
remainder of the time is passed
in lounging orgambling or sleep
ing. The few public schools are
not much more than advertise
ments that there is such a thing
as education some where in the
work!. What kind of a system
of education is it that leaves 91
per cent, of the population illit
erate The ban of Rome is upon
the schools and the teachers are
glad enough to please the priest.
What does the boy need with an
education? He is good enough
without it; it would be like a
sharp knife in his hands with
which he would hurt himself.
The convents in S. A, are real
prisons with heavy iron bars
across the windows and thick
walls and massive doors. If a
girl is once illuded into one she
can never get out, though she
weep away her life. Some have
escaped to tell the horrors prac
ticed in there. No nation should
permit such prisons in her do
mains. Scotland tore them down;
in Switzerland and in Germany
they were demolished as the Bas
tile in Paris. Did not the words
of Patrick Henry: “Do youear
the clanking of the chains in
Boston harbor fellow citizens,”
arouse the Americans to cast off
the foreign yoke? If Italy were
to come and bombard Boston,
New York, Charleston and New
Orleans every school boy would
be ready with his gun to protect
his land of liberty. But the
pope-king has entered this free
land of blood—bought liberty
and is building his castles silent
ly all over the country—prisons
for your daughters, the future
mothers of her citizens. Yes,
we can hear the clanking of
papal chains from Boston to New
Orleans. Go see the convent
prisons in S. A. and say whether
there is danger. Let our legis
lators require such buildings to
be like school buildings, plain
and open, no bars, no locks, open
doors and subject to constant in
spection. If an evil must be
borne it should be regulated so
as to do the least harm. If a
respectable girl is insulted by a
bad man a whole community is
justly aroused with indignation;
but celibate priests, w’hose re
cord for immorality ought to be
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1895.
known by all, is allowed to rule
over convents of girls who have
no protector nor appeal.
The morality of Catholics in S.
A. is the saddest of all; indeed it
would seem as if it was lacking
altogether. No man is supposed
to live a pure life. The priests
themselves lead openly shame
ful lives; nearly all of them have
their houses where they live
with or keep their mistress and
their children; but mostly the
children are sent to foundling
hospitals. In Rio de Janeiro the
city council ordered such houses
closed as a public shame; in Ba
hia then* continues to exist one
which has a wheel in a little
door in the wall of the street,
when in the darkness of night
the guilty parent or substitute
takes the infant, opens the door,
lays it in a basket and turns the
wheel. A nun sits on the inside
and receives it, and carries it
away and raises it. in general to
become a vagabond. Is that not
a premium on crime? The Bap
tist orphanage of Georgia receiv
es only legitimate children, and
thus punishes crime. What's the
difference but darkness and light?
When the young doctors or law
yers take their diploma, they
must declare themselves legiti
mate sons of parents, giving
name and place of residence, or
else they will be judged as ille
gitimate. One great reason of
this low state of morality is that
the priests so abuse their power,
claiming that they only can
marry people, but will not do it
except for a high price and the
cash down before performing the
marriage. The result is that
thousands live together as hus
band and wife with their joint
home, work, etc., and marry
when they get the money, per
haps when they have 4 or 5 chil
dren, or on the death bed of one
of these parties, so as to legalize
inheritance. The home is deso
late and child life is sad. No at
tractions for home, little or no
effort for the child's amusement
or improvement. Boys and girls,
young ladies and young men are
not allowed to associate, marri
age being effected through go
betweens and other processes.
They have no confidence in each
other; all have to rent houses by
giving written security. <
Evangelical missions have be
gun and are making progress in
most of the S. America reprSJic::. 3
Os the fifty million perhaps
there are a hundred thousand
non Catholics. Thirty years ago
there was not a Catholic paper
in S. A., but protestantism has
waked them up and now they
have them side by side with
nearly all the evangelical papers.
The light is beginning to dawn
on S. A. and slowly but surely
as God is in heaven and His
promises are true, idolatry and
error must vanish from those
lands, and those kingdoms be
come the kingdom of our only
Lord and Savior Je.sus Christ.
For the Index.
THE TIME OF THE RESURRECTION
OF CHRIST.
BY G. E. BREWER.
Rev. M. J. Webb, in the In
dex of July 18th, reviews my
statements of the time of the res
urrection of Jesus, and condemns
them as “specious but unground
ed,” and pronounces them
“heresy.” Doubtless they are
heresy to those who believe as
brother Webb, but are they when
viewed in the light of Scripture
rather than tradition? Let us
turn on the light of God s wit
nesses without any desire to es
tablish the theory of a justified
change of the Sabbath from the
seventh to the first day of the
week. Three things must be re
membered: 1. That the Jew’s di
vision of time made the day com
mence and end at sunset. 2.
Jesus was to be in the grave
three days and three nights, and
rise on the third day. 3. That
the guard was to prevent ap
proach to the sepulchre by Jesus’
disciples until the passage of the
third day; and that the angels
said Jesus arose as he said he
loould. This requires that noth
ing less or more than three days
and nights must be spent in the
grave, and the resurrection take
place on the third day.
By the theory of brother Webb
none of the conditions are. met,
and Jesus by his own terms
stands unaccredited as the Me
siah. If he was buried late in
the evening of Friday, as as
sumed by brother Webb, it was
just as sunset was ushering in
the Sabbath day. From that
sunset, to sunset of the Sabbath,
was one day, and no more. Then
if Jesus aroue about sunrise on
the first day, or Sunday, we have
only a part of the second and
none of the third, and he was in
the grave two nights and not
three, and only one day. If he
arose as Mathew says, “in the
end of the Sabbath,” there was
tut one day and one night. By
either theory there was an utter
failure to meet the conditions of
the only sign given, more than
once by Jesus, that he is the
Christ there wa-i an unproce
dented abandonment of Roman
guards from the post of duty
a fool-hardy attempt of the wo
men to get to th<* sepulchre be
fore the release of the guard
charged to keep them away.
Mathew says it “was in the
end of the Sabbath as it was
dawning toward the first of the
week" that the earthquake came,
the stone was rolled from the
sepulchre, and the guards fell,
and afterwards arose and tied in
to the city, and not one of the
other witnesses say any such
thing in connection with the visit
of the women in the morning.
He also says in this connection
that “Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary came to see the sepul
chre. We must remember Math
ew's definite statement of time
in the end of the Sabbath, and
equally definite object of the
visit to see the sepulchre.
Another witness, John, tells us
it was dark when Mary was at
the sepulchre; and it evidently
was so, for she could not dis
tinguish Jesus from the gardner,
though near her. This cannot
be true if it was the sunrise visit,
as the other witnesses tell us it
was when the women came
bringing the spices to embalm
his body. It is not dark at sun
rise, nor would Mary have asked
the supposed gardner about the
removed body, aftei the angels
had told her and the other wo
men at the sepulchre t hat Jesus
“was risen.”
Brother Webb says: “Mark
tells us 'plainly that Jesus rose
early the first of the week.” It
depends upon who does the
punctuation whether Mark says
so or not The punctuation as
made by him and other transla
tors, makes Mark contradict
another equally credible witness.
Mark 16:9, “Now having risen
early the first of the week, he
appeared first to Mary, the Mag
dalene.” Here they put the
comma after week, and so make
it read Jesus arose early the first
of the week, and > contradict
Mathew. As I do not wish to
contradict any of tie witnesses,
none of them hav ng been im
peached, I change he comma (as
Mark did not pr' there) from
siUfV. /..• . ‘‘Ap- : ' 't
risen, sons to read; “ Now hav
ing risen, early the first of the
week he appeared to Mary, the
Magdalene ” With this reading
Mark testifies simply to the fact
that Jesus was risen (without
telling the time,) but tells the
time he appeared to Mary- -early
the first of the week. This state
ment accords with both Mathew
and John, and has no contra
dictions among the witnesses. If
the witnesses contradict each
other, no credence can be given
to their statements.
It is a rule in courts that when
witnesses are at apparent dis
agreement, their testimony must
be harmonized if possible. If it
cannot be done, then some one
has testified falsely. As none
of these witnesses are impeached
we must suppose their state
ments true. Yet they are not, if
meaning the same time and
thing, some say he appeared to
all the women together on their
way to the city, and suffered
them all to embrace him, while
others say he appeared to one by
herself, and refused to let her
touch him; nor when some say it
was in the end of the Sabbath as
the first day of the week is ap
proaching, at sunset, lingering
till dark comes on, and others
say it was about sunrise on the
first day of the week; nor if some
say it was to seethe sepulchre, and
others that it was to embalm the
body; nor, if at the sepulchre,
some say Jesus told Mary to go
and tell his disciples, while oth
ers say two angels told the wo
men to go, and they did not see
Jesus until on their way to the
city. If brother Webb can har
monize these contradictions
which stand connected with his
theory, he can do more than I
have ever seen done, or expect
to see.
But we have it all clear if we
have two visits, one by Mary
Magdalene to see the sepulchre,
made late on the Sabbath day,
that is just about sunset, where
she lingers until the twilight
deepens into darkness; and then
another visit made by the other
women in the morning about sun
rise, when “they bring the
spices.” Not a single witness
says Mary Magdalene was along
with the others in the morning
visit. It says “ they,” referring
to the w’omen for the antecedent
of f/tey, but that would be the
proper word to use if all or only
a part of them went. So it might
be inferred she was with them,
or equally as truely that she was
not, far nothing in the language
demands us to believe she was,
and I prefer to construe it as to
leave the witnesses in harmony.
Again brother Webb's theory,
by his own translation and that
of all others, two Sabbaths are
needed between the crucifixion
and resurrection of Jesus to pre
vent the divinely appointed wit
nesses from hopelessly contra
dicting each other, and this is im
possible from Friday evening to
Saturday evening, or Sunday
morning either. Notice, Mark
says, 16:1, “The Sabbath behu/
past Mary Magdalene, and Mary
the mother of James, and Sa
lome, (and Luke says, the wo
men who followed him from Gal
lilee,)bought sweet spices." Tin*
Sabbath was past when they
were bought.
Luke says, 23:56, “And having
returned, they prepared aromat
ics and ointments, and on the
Sabbath remained quiet accord
ing to the commandment. Luke
does not tell the time of prepar
ing, but Mark does say it was
after the Sabbath had past, and
Luke says that after they were
prepared the women remained
quiet according to the command
ment while another Sabbath was
passing. Do these witnesses tell
the truth, or are they in confu
sion as to the facts in the case?
Now others may believe they
contradict each other if they so
wish, but accepting them as
God’s witnesses, I beleive they
both told the truth, and this coin
pells me to think some one else
is rattled rather than myself.
Brother Webb says “every
body knows Friday was prepa
ration day for the Jews.” No. I
do not know it, nor does any one
else who will let the Bible in
struct him. Preparation day was
the fourteenth of Nisan, during
the daylight following the eat
ing of the Passover on the even
ing which commenced the four
teenth. That day the houses
were to be carefully searched for
the removal of all leaven from
the houses before the feast of
Unleaven Bread began on the
fifteenth, and was to last seven
days. The fifteenth of Nisan,
the first day of the feast was to
be a holy day, or Sabbath,
throughout their generations, in
which no servile work was to be
done. So the fourteenth was
preparation day, no matter on
wfiat day of the week it fell, and
the fifteenth was likewise a Sab
lAtb, no matter on what day of
M. • week it comes. So we can
*4'- two Sabbaths, the fifteenth
of Nisan Sabbath, and the week
ly Sabbath both out of three
days, with a day between for
buying and preparing, and no
contradiction of the witnesses
when one says the Sabbath
passed before they bought, and
the other says they rested a Sab
bath after they bought. These
two Sabbaths are both provided
for and demanded by the Script
ures; and the two visits under
different times, conditions, and
for different purposes are related
in the Scriptures. The two of
each leaves the test imony of all
the witness uncontradicted and
harmonious, and as an honest
juror I must stand by the verdict
rendered before, even though I
be denominated a heretic. Re
member pure heresy, is when one
believes contrary to Scripture,
and not in harmony with it.
Can it not be seen that the
Scriptures accord with these
views, and that each witness is
unimpeached; each story true to
fact; Jesus meeting self-appoint
ed conditions for believing in
him; the Roman guards true to
Roman discipline; the friends of
Jesus acting with common sense
about getting to the sepulchre;
and going at the right times to
do what love prompted—Mary
to see if all was right for the
morning’s work, and the others
not knowing what Mary had
learned, going when they could
have both opportunity and time
to embalm? It seems so to me.
For the Index.
Four Months’ Showing.
We have received for the past
four months 816,794.76 for For
eign Missions. One-third of the
Conventional year has passed.
Georgia has raised 81636.51 of
the above amount. She was
asked by the Southern Baptist
Convention to raise 86,000 in that
time, or 818,000 for the year.
Every State is behind the
amount requested by the Con
vention, Is this caused in your
State partly because you and
your church have failed to do
your duty? The missionaries
must live. To borrow money
means heavy interest accounts.
Why will God’s people act in this
way? Is the great work of mis
sions entrusted to us, to drag,
while God is showering his bless
ings on us? Let us all come up
with thank-offerings and render
unto the Lord that which is due.
Many have given nothing this
year for the salvation of the lost
in foreign lands. Some have
given but little. Let each bring
an offering now as God has
blessed him or her. The work
is needing help now. May those
who can, give large gifts, and
those who have little, give lib
erally. This is meant for you,
reader, and your church.
Fraternally.
R. J. WILLINGHAM,
•Cor. Sec'y.
Aug. 31st, 1895.
For thr Index.
Our German Letter.
Heidelberg, Germany, (
August 19, 1895. i
Dear Index:—Coming u p
from Milan to Lucerne, we passed
through twenty eight miles of
tunnels, including the Gotthard
through the Alps, which is nine
miles long and through which
we passed in twenty minutes,
and with great comfort.
That day’s ride will never be
forgotten. On either side were
piled those vast, grand, snow
covered mountains forever tell
ing of the majesty of God. There
were those eternal cascades—
those rushing streams, dashed
into perpetual milk-white foam
and the fleeting clouds giving
continuous change to the awe-in
spiring scenery.
Arriving at Fluelen we left
the train and went aboard a
steamer that carried us in nearly
three hours to Lucerne. It is
impossible to human pen to de
scribe the loveliness and grand
ure of this most beautiful of the
lakes of Switzerland in its setting
amid the everlasting mountains
which only the hand of God
could bow down. Many steam
ers ply these waters carrying
thousands of tourists from point
to point. One thousand a day
from all the earth is given as
the number of travellers that
land at Lucerne. Here the ho
tels were all filled. Our party of
sixteen was in raptures over
the beauty of Lucerne and its en
virons.
On the 18th we reached Hei
delberg, where we were joined
by Mrs. Senator Brown, Miss
Sallie Brow n and Mary Connally.
These had completed their tour
in Norway, Sweden and Russia,
and after travelling a day or two
with us along the Rhine, will
turn Southward. As yet their
route is undetermined. It may
be ‘hat they will pass to the
Mediterranean and go thence to
Joppa and through the land that
was pressed by the feet of the
Son pf God. I never saw Mrs.
Brown looking better. She has
not only endured, but enjoyed
the trip and profited by it. We
visited the old University of Hei
delberg begun 5< >0 years ago, and
saw the old house beyond the
river where some of the students
fight with rapiers to avenge
their supposed insults from fel
low "bloods''—bearing on their
faces great gashes of which they
are abidingly proud. The more
the scars, the grander is the sub
sequent strut.
THE OLD CASTLE.
We climbed the mountain at
the edge of the city, half-w’ay up
whose sides, is tlie old castle be
gun 6ti(l years ago- the grandest
ruin, it is said, of all the castles
of Europe. One side of the, vast
round tower was blown out by
that prince of destruction -Na
poleon, but being 21 feet in
thickness it simply tumbled out
ward w ithout breaking up.
One old church here attests
the combative trait of the old
Teutons. From end to end in
the middle of it, a wall was built
-the Catholics holding one side
for worship and the Lutherans
the other.
Let me here add that in all the
cities visited by us, the new’
buildings are like ours in Amer
ica, and the apparel of w’ell-to
do people just like ours. The
same fashion-plates admired by
our people are a joy also to
these; and thus in our homes and
public buildings and in our ar
ticles of dress the great world of
Europe and America is growing
more homogeneous. So it would
be in religion, if the word of God
and the 'public school were left
free in all to do their blessed
work. We would do well to sing
our National song, “America," in
our schools and Sunday-schools
and churches. We ought to keep
alive the patriotic spirit and
cheerish in our children the love
of freedom. Alas, that is so ea
sily lost and so hard to be won
w’hen gone.
To-morrow 7 , God willing, we
go on down the Rhine and the
next day -into Belgium—of whose
people in the long ago (The
Belgii) Caesar told us in his com
mentaries. We are to spend two
days in its Capitol, where more
than forty years ago the Hon.
Henry W. Hilliard was our min
ister Plenipotentiary. Then to
Antwerp in Holland and to our
steamer, and once more on the
deep and dark blue ocean home-
W’ard.
Truly Yours,
A. T. Spalding.
Send us a new subscriber to
the Index.
VOL. 75-NO.
For the Index
Our Rio Letter.
DR. .1. H. LUTHER.
Through the courtesy of Mrs.
Harvy Hatcher, 'the Index is
permitted to publish portions of
a private letter to her from Dr.
J. H. Luther, who is now in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. He is
spending some time there with
his daughter. His daughter and
her husband have been in Brazil
fifteen years, and Dr. Luther
says the following is the result:
“Fifteen churches are now in
good w’orking order. Two ex
priests have preached the pure
gospel. I never saw happier
Christians than these native con
verts. Bagby will leave Rio in
October' to settle higher up on
the mountains and take a gener
al oversight of some of the
churches.
Our new chapel is nearly com
pleted—cost 810,000. Rev. Dr.
Ottoni, a converted priest of
high Portugese family will be
the pastor. If some of our
preachers could hear him con
verse with me an hour, w’hen he
tells what he knows of Mariolatry
they w’ould be ashamed of their
opposition to Latin missions.
The religion here is simply bap
tized Paganism. The priests
are shamelessly immoral.
My grand daughter hei*e, 14
years old will have to go to the
States to be educated. There
are high schools here and Nor
mal schools, but the morals of
the young are far from being
pure.
We expect to have a longer
letter from Dr. Luther written to
the Index soon.
For the Index.
An Indian Missionary Sermon.
At the recent Choctaw Asso
ciation, Rev. Josiah McClure
preached the Missionary Ser
mon on Lord's Day Morning. He
is a full-blood Indian, and is one
of the missionaries of the Home
Mission Society among the Choc
taws. His parents were poor
and had no influence with the
school officers, hence he had
scarcely any opportunity to at
tend school. He has taught him
self to read the Choctaw Testa
ment and recently has taken up
English and can read some in
the English Bible.
His text was Phil!. 2:4-5
“Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on
the things of others.” "Let this
mind be in you which was also
in Christ Jesus.” He spoke in
Choctaw to his own people. His
argument for missionary work
based on the first part of the text
“consider the things of others.”
was very strong. He empha
sized the importance and value,
of unselfishness. This he illus
trated by the coming of Christ
to this world as a Savior. He
was unselfish. He looked uponi
our lost and ruined condition.
He loved us. He came to rescuer
the perishing. “Let this mind,
be in you which was in Christ
Jesus.” Each division and prin
cipal thought was fortified and
emphasized by numbers of ap
propriate proof texts which were
read from the Choctaw Testa
ment. Bro. McClure is a strong
and eloquent preacher. He held
the attention and interest of
every Choctaw’ present, and, in
deed, of the w’hites who did not
understand him. Finally he
reached a climax in his applica
tion. Sweeping his hand towards
the great destitute A-puc-shon
mab-bie District where he had
labored amid much trials and
hardships, and, then towards the’
Chickasaw’ Nation where there
is no Baptist missionary among
the Indians, and then w’ith both
hands out-stretched towards the
west, where are the blanket In
dian tribes, who cried with pa
thetic entreaty, “Let this mind,
be in you which was also its
Christ Jesus, who looked upon
the lost and ruined condition of
others and came to their res
cue.” Every heart was thrilled.
“0 that every Baptist in the
States could hear this Indian
pleading with Indians to give the
gospel to others of their race
who are in darkness.”
J. S. Murrow.
Old Bethel, Jefferson Co.,
Ga.—Our beloved pastor, J. A.
Mobley, assisted by Bro. Milo
Massey, held a five days meeting
which resulted in nine being re
ceived by experience. During
the year there has been fourteen
received. The church has been
much revived. Bro. Mobley has
been unanimously called to serve
us another year. Clerk.
Hayston.—We held a week’s
meeting at Centennial, Morgan
Co., resulting in 11 by baptism
and 2 by letter. At Carmel,New
ton county, a nine days meeting
resulted in 21 baptisms and four
received by letter.
W. N. Carson.