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ESTABLISHED 1821.
The Christian Index
Published Every Thursday. Cor. Ivy Street
and Edgewood Avenue.
j. C. McMICHAEL. (Estate.)
Organ of the Baptist ’’ cmination in
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Important Notice.
Brother J. C. McMichael gave
the best years of his life to build
ing up the Index, and in collat
eral lines of work for the church
and humanity. In the prime of
his life, the Master ca’led him up
higher just when he was about
to reap some financial reward for
his labors on the paper. He left
a widow and four bright sons.
Over the home in which they live,
there hangs a debt. Will not
every reader who is indebted to
the Index remit the amount due
at once by money order or other
wise? Please do this. It will
be a timely act.
To the Brethren of the Southern
Baptist Convention:
Dear Brethren : Another
three months have slipped away
and time has come round for me
to give you another report of the
progress of the cause of Jesus
on the Campos Baptist Mis
SION. Praised be the Lord, we
can give you a good report. The
cause has not gone backward;
we have moved always forward.
Verily the Psalmist s words can
be repeated: “Many, 0 Lord my
God, are Thy wonderful works
which Thou hast done and Thy
thoughts which are to usward:
they cannot be reckoned up in
order unto Thee; if I would de
clare-and speak of them they are
more than can be numbered.
(Psalm 40:5.)
Not to weary you with a long
introduction, 1 will first enter in
to the Campos W<)RK. Campos
is a city of about 50,000 inhabi
tants —an important city of com
merce - possessing five railways,
a sixth being in project, placing
the missionary in contact with
over 2,500,000 souls who know
not the love of Jesus. We closed
last quarter with' 110 members.
During these three months we
have received by baptism 9
showing a total of 119. You can
imagine how wt are all crammed
up in our small hall that will not
hold more than 100 persons. Oh,
if we but had a larger hall! How
the work would have grown and
spread! We have a tine piece of
land in the centre of the city:
will you not help us to build our
chapel ?
Speaking about the work in
Campos, the -help received
from the young men must not be
overlooked. We have a little
band of young helpers who go
every Sunday to a neighboring
place to preach the word of life
in any house that is offered to
them. Every Sunday we have
preaching in five places and
sometimes in more. Besides
these meetings, these young men
also preach every Friday night
in some Catholic house that is
offered to them in this city. The
work thus carried on is becoming
one of the most important
branches, for there is not a place
in the city, nor perhaps a man,
who hears not of the Gospel in
vitation.
The “Bona Novas" (Good News)
our periodical, is also helping us.
It is our forerunner going into
places where we could not very
well enter, preparing the way
for the Truth that gives life.
Lately a man called to buy a Bi
ble who had heard about it for
the first time when one was read
ing the ‘ ‘ Bona Novas to him.
This paper, to support itself, is
in need of a printing press.
SAN FIDELIS.
We reported at the end of June
the existence of 31 members: to
day we can add to it another 13,
the amount baptized last quarter.
The cause of Jesus in this place
is spreading marvellously. Bro.
A. Campos is working with great
success and is accomplishing
great things. Besides the meet
ings held in the city there
are also irregular meetings in
the neighboring places called
Retiro Sandoso, Palmital, Colle
gis and Cambucy. The believ
ers are tried and proved. They
have withstood stoning and all
other kind of persecution. Their
faithfulness is something to be
I 1 HE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
admired. They are working
hard to buy a plot and build a
chapel for Jesus.
GUANDIE CHURCH.
This church is composed of
little farmers who live in the in
terior of this country. Every
Sunday they unite in worship
and some brother from the Cam
pos church goes over to preach.
At the end of the last quarter
they had 30 candidates. To-day,
thank God, they can count up the
number 1(< more who were bap
tized during the last quarter.
This young church is soon to
h ive a daughter, for eleven of its
members live in Santa Barbara
and as soon as they will be more
instructed they will be organized
into a separate church.
OI’TSIDE STATIONS.
Now please look over the field
we are trying to occupy. Besides
our regular preaching at the
three churches mentioned above,
we have many other places,
where the Word of God is being
heard.
Santa Barbara is & new place.
We have only visited it three
times and we have already eleven
members living there all strong
and faithful believers. You
should see these men work for
Jesus. They seem to be full of
zeal and lire from above. They
are nearly all well-to-do farmers
and are projecting the building
of a house of prayer, which they
desire to use also as a school.
They are praying for a man who
would preach to them and teach
their children. They are willing
to help to support him.
(Suing of course you remem
ber Guing. We have several
believers living there and from
Cam pos every Sunday a man has
been sent to preach there. But
I am afraid that the - Malaria fe
ver will finish up our -work there.
The sister who offered the ;!<><>
palms of land for building the
church is going to move away
and wants to pay the worth of
the ground into the Campos
fund.
7'zvire.sw/i- is another place at
which we have been at work and
where we have already reaped
some results. In this place, as
nearly all others, we make haste
slowly. Slow but sure is our
motto.
Triumjdio and Conceham
These are two places that were
visited for the first time last
month and with good results.
At each place lives a family of
believers where meetings can be
held. The first meetings were
marked with great success. The
first night I preached at our
brother’s house. The attend
ance was extraordinary and the
attention most excellent. The
next day a committee of the
place came to ask me to preach
in the Public-School-Room the
largest hall in the place. You
can imagine what a meeting we
had ! I preached for two hours
to an attentive congregation and
when finishing I thanked them
for their invitation and kind at
tention, and they answered:
“Nos senior ! No sir! we owe you
thanks for coming here and
teaching us these things.” -I
expect to continue our meetings
in these places.
Santa Luria is a place where
one of our San Fidelis members
has been living foragood while.
Os course, he could not hide his
light ;so lately he came and asked
me to go and preach at a place
called dffo do Jequetiba, where
the w’hole community is studying
the Bible. I am expecting to
go there on the Bth inst. Breth
ren, pray forme !
SOME OF OUR GREAT NEEDS.
A DECENT HOUSE OF WORSHIP
in Campos ! This is our great
est need. The longer you delay
in helping us to suppress this
difficulty the more will the work
in Campos suffer. Campos is
the heart of our w’ork. Do not
let it go down, brethren ! Help
us to get our little chapel. We
need $5,000, but any little -will
help. We want to begin next
year. Will not some good
brother send a thousand dollars
to Dr. Willingham for the chapel
in Campos ? Dear reader, will
you not send something ? Oh,
that our Heavenly Father would
but touch your hearts to give
what you can spare. You w’ould
easily enable us to get our chap
el and the cause of Jesus would
go forw’ard.
An Evangelical School.—
The need of a school on this mis
sion field is coming more and
more to the front. The children
of our belie vers--the future of
our churches are growing up in
ignorance. Mrs. Ginsburg has
her hands full. We need
one or two teachers. In less than
a year the school would be self
supporting. Who will help sup
port some scholars ? Brethren,
the children are the hope of our
churches. Help us to save the
children.
Your missionary,
Solomon L. Ginsburg.
Campos, 1.10, ’95.
I SUBSCRIPTION, Pm Y»»". ..*2.00. I
Ito ministers, uoo.i
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 14, 1895.
For the Index.
Co-Education and Dr. Gambrell in
Mercer University Again.
Before going further in this
discussion, 1 must redeem the
promise, made in my last paper,
to show that Dr. Gambrell com
mitted a grave error in claiming
that Dr. Broad is favored co-ed
ucation Dr. Gambrell has, on
several occasions, referred to his
having had such free and full con
versations with Dr. Broadus just
after his elevation to the presi
dency of Mercer University, and
he has as often given out,
through the news papers, the
views of Dr. Broadus, and made
them coincide with his own. Far
be it from me, to charge my hon
ored brother with misrepresent
ing facts purposely, for those
of us who have known Dr. Broad
us longer and more intimately
than he ever did, could not keep
from hauing some doubts, in our
minds, as to whether Dr. Gam
brell was not mistaken as to the
positions of Dr. Broadus. We
knew how firm and solid Dr.
Broadus was, and were sure that
he was as far from entertaining
Dr. Gambrells views, on these
very questions, as East is from
the West.
The explanation which I felt
Dr. Gambrell ought to have given
when he mentioned that Dr.
Broadus sent his son to a co-ed
ucational school was the fact
that Prof. S. C. Mitchell, a son
in-law of Dr. Broadus, was a pro
fessor in that institution, and
this may have had something to
do with his sending his son to it.
Dr. Gambrell knew this, and be
sides he must have known that
this was not proof that Dr. Broad
us favored co-education. I know
a brothei* who, is at this time
patronizing a co-educational
school, and yet he is as much op
posed to co-education as I am.
Prof. A. T. Robertson, a son-in
law of Dr. Broadus, and profes
sor in the Seminary, writes me
of this matter as follows: “His
son is at Georgetown College,
which recently adopted the co
educational system with modifi
cations. But he is not there be
cause it has this system of in
struction. \ It seems to me that
this must settle this part of the
question, most emphatically, and
Dr. Gambrell will not in the fu
ture, lam sure, claim that Dr
Broadus favored co-education be
cause forsooth his son was at a
co-educational school.
But lam permitted to quote
further from the same source,
“Mrs. Broadus says that Dr.
Broadus did not prefer co-educa
tion, but the reverse. In speak
ing with Dr. Gambrell, he may
have used pleasant phrases not
caring to argue the question. Dr.
Broadus thought in some cases
where Baptists or others were
extremely poor and could not
have separate schools there was
more ground for co-education,
and the expense of education
might be cheapened in some
cases. But his preference was
decidedly against co education.
I have often heard him speak so
myself.” 1 shall quote only one
more sentence from this strong
letter, and so far as Dr. Broadu’s
views are concerned, I shall say
“here we rest.” “Dr. Broadus
did not at all think co-education
was the thing for the South.”
I must be pardoned for express
ing profound regret that my
good brother Gambrell did not
enjoy the privilege of more in
timate and prolonged association
with this, one of the greatest men
God ever gave the world. Had
he done so, I am aure that he
would occupy a very different
position from the one which he
does upon this, and some other
questions which it seem to me are
clearly settled by God’s word,
and about which 1 can prove Dr.
Broadus was as firm as Gibral
tar, and remained so to the day
of his death.
I have one more letter upon
the subject of co-education which
I wish to give here and it is
from the pen of Dr. B. F. Riley
who was, for five years, Presi
dent of Howard college, Ala
bama. He took it at the most
critical period of its history,
when practically dead, and infus
ed into it new life. He not only
conducted all its affairs, but filled
a professor’s chair, and so did
the work of severa men Dr.
Riley is the honored and able
professor of English, at this time,
in the University of Georgia.
Surely he is competent to speak.
He writes:
University of Georgia, Athens,
Oct., 30, 1895. My dear broth
er.—You have led a useful life
up to this period, but you have
never engaged in a more profit
able undertaking than you have
now assumed in the views which
you express. I am opposed to
co-education on the following
grounds: Ist. If ever the ar
gument, “let well enough alone”
prevailed, it does in this matter.
Our separate institutions have
wrought well, are working well;
why change?
2nd. The respect which the
Southern gentleman has for a
woman is proverbial., There is
nothing comparable t<| it »n the
world. Make her his competi
tor, and along with the contest
will go his esteem for her Our
esteem for woman is one of our
chief conservators. The tenden
cy of the times is toward com
mercialism. A superior senti
ment, lofty and exceptional,
which characterizes onr regard
for woman is a safe guard at least
in this end of the country
3rd. It will create endless
Complications with our schools
for women.
4. Break down our high re
gard for woman, and undue fa
miliarity will follow. uiin pre
pared for disastrous res Its. mor
al and otherwise, if sm' sys
tem should prevail. ■
5. If it is fair to admit girls
at Mercer, it is equally fair to
admit boys at Shorter, Manches
ter, LaGrange and Gainesville.
(i. The direct tendency will
be to unsex woman, while you
blunt the edge of man’s regard
for her.
I regret that Dr. Gambrell is
seeking to urge this matter. If
my pen, voice or vote is demand
ed lam ready to respond. It is
only a broken wave of the old
woman's rights questipn which
has swept over the boundaries
of the North, and into the South.
It is a new fangled question—a
sort of social “fad.” Mercer will
never be great by converting it
into a co-educational institution!
I say this with deep seriousness.
God bless you.
Respectfully,
B. F. Riley.
I have letters also from Dr.
Thomas Hume, of the University
of North Carolina, and from oth
ers which I will use, if it becomes
necessary. I have asked for ex
pressions only from men who
have made educational
work life study. I have not writ
ten to Professor’s in Northern iu
stitutions, for lean aseasily prove
by them that it is better to edu
cate negroes and whites togeth
er as I can prove that it is the
thing to have the coeducation
of the sexes. And I am sure that
what is good for the North in
this, and in many o'he? things,
is very far from being good for
the South.
The above was writtejj *efore
1 had seen Dr, GiiiJjbriTT”
letter. I will give it propei at
tention in due time.
G. W. Gardner,
Jackson, Ga.
Earnest Preaching.
by a. c. ward.
Earnestness is an important
element in any enterprise. Es
pecially is this true in regard to
preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ. In all true preaching
there will be discovered a deep
earnestness that will at once
rivet attention and command re
spect. A lawyer may and often
does attempt a funny speech but
his best effort and that which
carries conviction to the minds
of the jury is not laughter and
fun but sober, earnest speech.
What action is to oratory, ear
nestness is to preaching. Sheri
dan said, “I often go to hear
Rowland Hill because his ideas
came red-hot from the heart.”
When we consider the object
of preaching together with the
natural results, it would seem as
if it never could be undertaken
in a careless way. And yet it
often is undertaken in such an
half-hearted way that its very
purpose is thwarted. The writer
had the privilege of listening to
Mr. Spurgeon several years ago.
His text for that occasion was
“Lovestthou me.” lean never
forget the new light which
dawned upon my soul as the
speaker after leading us up
through the circumstances con
nected with the text asked with
such tender earnestness “Lovest
thou me.” It was as if Christ
himself stood there and out of
the yearning of his great heart
was begging for an individual
declaration of ( love. I forgot
Mr. Spurgeon, ‘i I lost sight of
the crowd and my heart lifted up
to God in prayer, did not wait
for Peter's answer, but respond
ed for itself, ‘Yes Lord, I do love
thee.” From that moment my
hungry soul began to feed on the
words of earnest exhortation, to
prove my love for Christ, and
ever since then the text has had
a personal and vital meaning for
me.
Earnestness becomes the
preacher best of all. It is a good
thing anywhere but in a man who
deals directly with the most vi
tal interests of earth it is both
necessary and proper.
As the roots of a plant must come in
contact with the soil, so the soul must
be brought near to God’s word in order
to get strength and growth. Growth is
contingent upon food and exercise.
What exercise is to the tody, reflection
and meditation are to the soul.
For the INdkx.
From Bethel io the Dead Sea.
It is an experience to ride into
Bethel after the sun has gone
down. So it was with u lew
pilgrims who recently passed
this way, but instead of finding
only a stone for a pillow, as did
Jacob, they found tents in which
had been placed good cots on
which they could rest. The
camp is by the only fountain
there is here and there is no
doubt but Jacob sleht near this
fountain the night he saw the
angels ascending and descending
the ladder. The water from this
fountain is the worst we have
had in Palestine. As to Bethel
nothing remains but a few mis
eruble huts which furnish an
abode for a class of people no
better off than our native In
dians.
It is 12 or 15 miles from Bethel
to Jerico, and the way to go
can, in no sense, be called a road.
In many places, if one should
undertake to ride down, he would
do so with the danger of losing
a limb, if not of breaking his
neck. Directly, before we start
down this fearful pass, we come
to Ai, the place where Josuua's
warriors were defeated because
df the sin of Achem. There is
nothing scarcely to mark the
place, and there is nothing
thought of it only in connection
with the story of Israel's defeat,
as mentioned in the Bible. Leav
ing Ai we soon come to a miser
able, dirty village of poor peo
ple, the lack of which could
never be duplicated in our coun
try. We now come into that
section made memorable in the
Bible in connection with the
early life of John the Baptist
and the temptation.of our Lord.
It is the wilderness, and this
term signifies much more than
any Georgian ever dreamed of.
Here is com pie desolation, and
while there are some flowers in
the rainy season, there is now no
sign of vegetable life. There is
not a single tree nor shrub, and
the sun shines with an intense
glow. The w’hole of this wilder
ness region looks as if t he curses
of the Lord were upon it. and
from these the land can never re
cover. At last you come in sight
of the Jordan plain, and the eye
and mind are relieved by looking
on green trees and gardens. You
are now in full sight of Jericho
There is an old and new u w.i,
but only a little of the former
remains. Our tent, for lunch, is
pitched here, and we come to it
tired and thirsty. In great haste
we go to the fountain of Elisha.
A surprise awaited us all, for
instead of finding the insignifi
cant fountain we expected, be
hold here was one of the finest
springs, of sweet water, to be
found any where or in any land.
The spring is so strong and bold
that it turns a mill, which is lo
cated a short distance away.
From there the water passes
down into the plain, and if there
were enough thrift and enter
prise to use it portions of the
plain would blossom like the
rose, All kinds of tropical fruits
could be growm here, but as it
is you see nothing but a few ba
nanas. About one mile away is
new Jericho, the old Gilgal,
which is a tough place, judging
from the appearances of the peo
ple and the houses in which they
live. A gentleman, who had
been in some of these homes,
told me that he visited or e of
these houses a few years ago,
and found a man who had four
wives, twenty children and some
donkeys all living in the same
room. No part of this fine val
ley is now desirable as a place of
residence, for some of the peo
ple who live there are half naked.
After we have had lunch we
are in our saddles and off for
Jordan, which is six miles away,
but in appearance is not more
than half that distance. At
length our persistent effort is
rewarded, and we find ourselves
standing on the banks of the sa
cred stream. At this time of the
year the river is as low as it ever
gets. It is about 80 yards across
it and about one-third the dis
tance from our side of the bank
appeared to be quite deep. A
native swam out in the stream,
held both hands up as he went
down, feet foremost, to find the
bottom, but he was lost to view.
From this you will see that there
is water in the Jordan.
One lady, whom I mentioned
in a previous article, was now’ to
realize the object of her visit to
the Holy Land. That was to be
baptized in this river because
Christ was baptized in it. As
your readers will be interested,
I will give you a brief statement
of the facts. The lady in ques
tion lives in Pennsylvania, and
is a member of the Methodist
church in the town where she
resides. She has wanted to be
immersed for many years, and
her pastor was willing to per
form the ordinance, but she de
sired to be baptized in the Jor
dan and no where else. So she
wrote to Dr. P. T. Hale, pastor
of South Side Baptist church,
Birmingham, Ala., and asked
him that if she would join his
party to their pilgrimage to the
East, if he would baptize her.
Hi* stated on the banks of Jor
dan that he consulted some of the
leading brethren of his congre
gation about thematter and their
advice was to baptize her. He
was not satisfied to do this with
out special authority, and so lie
brought the matter before his
church. The church passed a
resolution authorizing him to
baptize this lady. Perhaps it
would be just to say that she pro
poses to remain a member of the
Methodist church. The lady
was baptized, in Jordan, by Dr.
P. T. Hale, assisted Dr. W.
A. Whittle, Rev Dr. W. U. Tay
lor. Pastor of the Baptist
church Frankfort, Ky., read
some partions of scriptures and
Dr. W. R. L. Smith, pastor third
Baptist church. St. Louis, Mo.,
led in prayer.
After this quite a number of
us decided to visit the dead sea,
which was live miles away. We
are soon on its shores and at
once see we are looking on
strange waters. There appear
ed to be some tide and the wa
ters came in as they were pos
sessed of much gravity. This
indeed, is true for there is no
other water on earth whose
density is so great as this.
Most of the party at once decid
ed to bath in this water and so
made haste to get in. On get
ting in they found that they
could not sink, and as they sat in
the water the were literally
rocked by its waves. Some of
them lay upon the water and
read from the Bible.
G. H. Carter.
House of the Good Shepherd.
BY SCOTT F. HERSHEY, PH. D.
This is the familiar name of a
Roman Catholic institution
found in almost every large city
in the United Slates. There is
no objection to the name. But
somehow’ we all remember hav
ing people in the world of ex
ceptionally fine names, but upon
an intimate acquaintance with
them, w*e have found that their
characters hardly come up tp
their names. The American
Christian public ought not to be
left in the dark regarding the
character of this institution
called the “House of the Good
Shepherd.” Some of us have
gained some information about
life within these walls in more
cities than one. This knowledge
leads us to believe that there is
more of cruel, tyrannical and in
human treatment, than any pris
on administration in the 'Country
can show 7 .
In this article I am briefly
to tell some facts which
have fallen under my observation
and been unearthed by examina
tion.
In a Southern city is located
one of these Institutions. A
young girl was temporarily
placed in it by her brother.
When he went after his sister,
the woman in control would not
even permit him to see her. A
second visit enabled him to talk
with his sister through the bars.
Her answers as she afterwards
testified in court,were dictated to
her by the Mother Superior,W’ho
knelt by her side, out of sight of
the brother. This young girl
had been cruelly treated, and
was made to sign over to the
Mother Superior a note for a few
hundred dollars payable to her
when she arrived at age. As a
minor, she had no right to sign
over such a legal paper; but the
Institution cared little for that.
During the recent summer I
made some examinations on my
ow’n account of the 1 ‘ House of
the Good Shepherd ” in Denver
and Kansas City. In Colorado,
for several years, there had been
a law, according to which young
girls, upon complaint were sent
by the civil authorities to the
Denver House. The county from
which they were sent paid three
dollars per w’eek to the Institu
tion for keeping the girls. It was
understood they were being
schooled. Hundreds of these
girls were placed in the House,
and the State was paying the
money. It has turned out that
the girls got no schooling and
had to work daily at hard labor,
and were fed on the stuff gath
ered up by the nuns,who begged
in a wagon day by day through
the towrn.
The attempt was made to have
every girl sign a contract to re
main always in the House. If
they afterwards desired to leave,
they were told they had taken an
oath and signed a contract to
stay. Some of these girls have
beeu released, and their stories
are pitiable. One young girl still
(at my latest information) in this
House has sent out into the
world a heart-rendering plea for
some one to try and liberate her
VOL. 75--NO. 45
from the prison she is in. As a
punishment these girls must, for
certain faults, lick the floor.
Another form of punishment is
to hang about the neck an imi
tation of a human tengue, in red
flannel. The Colorado law is
now happily repealed.
In Kansas City I had an oppor
tunity to have a private inter
view* with young women, who
had escaped, or been liberated
from the Institution of the same
name. Neither of these had any
know ledge of what the other two
had said. They corroborated
each other. If half they told be
true, the people of that city
would be justified in demanding
the tearing down of the struct
ure. They had to submit daily
to loneliness, cruelty,' hunger,
hardship, humiliation, shame
and heavy toil, without comforts
sympathy, or words of kindness.
What they eat was mostly refuse
from the hotel tables, gathered
up by the Institution’s wagon.
The meat was mostly stale, and
sometimes wormy. They worked
unceasingly and were not per
mitted to speak a wor l during
the day, except at dinner and
recreation hour, they could not
be two or three together seeking
comfort in each other’s sympa
thy. This loneliness led to the
madness of despondency and
desperation. One of these young
women came hobbling in before
me on crutches. The following
conversation, as shown in my
note book, w T as had. I asked:
“ How 7 are you injured?”
“ My limb is broken.”
“ How did it happen?”
“ I did it when I jumped out of
the tw*o story window at the
House of the Good Shepherd.”
“ Why did you do that?”
‘* I wanted to leave and they
told me I had to stay, and that I
would be lost if I did not. I had
tried to jump the fence before,
but got fast in the barbed w’ire.”
“Were you so very anxious to
leave, as to risk your life?”
“Oh, yes! and other lives too.
I once built a fire in the closet
of my room, and the fire depart
ment came just in time to save
the building.”
“ Were they not much excited
at your attempt to destroy the
building?”
“Why no, because the girls
often try to burn it down.”
This article is long enough.
The “ Home of the Good Shep
herd” is a disgrace in our coun
try, and the Christian people
should see that the State legis
lature apply remedial legisla
tion.
Boston.
What Say You to This?
Six months of our convention
al year have passed. During
this time God has graciously
blessed our missions in foreign
lands. Our people at home are
rejoicing in returning prosperity
in financial affairs. Bro. E. Y.
Mullins has recently written you
of how* sorely we need money for
our foreign mission work. Let
me press upon you to consider
this matter. After the increased
offerings of last spring, many
seemed to think they w’ould wait
aw’hile without giving for this
work, but expenses continue to
go right on. Our missionaries
had to be provided for. The con
tributions have thus fallen far
behind the expenses. Every
State is short of what was asked
from her. We all know that
there are money and plentiful
supplies in our country. I write
this to ask each pastor and dea
con to see that a collection is
taken in your churches and sent
forward promptly. I ask each
lover of God’s causes to help. Ap
point a day in your church for
each member to bring a gift for
foreign missions. If you have
not money give of our substance,
give cotton, corn, cows, sheep,
horses, give of such as you have
and let deacons turn all of these
gifts into money and send it for
ward.
What better way to praise God
on Thanksgiving Day ? May
earnest brethren and sisters
take hold of this matter in their
churches. November and De
cember can thus be made joyous
and glorious with gifts to our
Heavenly Father who has so
abundantly blessed us and whose
cause just now so very much
needs help. If you like this plan
try it, if not try some other, but
be certain you give yourself and
try to get others to give also.
Let us thankfully praise God
and earnestly pray for his bless
ings. Fraternly,
R. J. Willingham,
Cor. Sec’y.
Richmond, Va., Nov. 7, 1895.
Dear Index:—Yesterday November
the 4th there was a Baptist church or
ganized near Sermons. Clinch county,
Ga. Elder John F. Smith and Rev.
M. A. Grace (presbytery) with nine
members. Brother Grace will continue
to preach for the little church. We
think the prospects good for a good
strong church in the near future. The
name of the church is Providence.
M. A. Grace.