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WChristianlndex
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By BELL «!t VAN FiE»B*
Address Cukihtian Isdkx, Atlanta, Gn
Organ of the Baptist Denomination In
Georgia.
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For the INPEX.
A Bright History of the “Index."
BY REV. S. BOYKIN.
In a report on the Christian
Index, by the sainted C. D. Mai
lory, to be found in the Minutes
of the Georgia Baptist Conven
tion, for the year 1860, at Colum
bus, Georgia, these words may
be read: “The Christian In
dex has had an honorable and
useful history. Ftr nearly forty
years it has been circulating
among our churches, imparting
valuable instruction to thous
ands, in relation to the doitrines
and commands of our exalted
Saviour, and advancing ably and
earnestly, wise and jud.cious
plans, for the furtherance of the
Redeemer’s kingdom among
men.” And now. nearly forty
years later, the same words may
be applied to this paper with
great propriety. For nearly
sixty - three years its name
has been as “household words”
among the Georgia Baptists;
and to say that it has ever
been regarded by them with
affection, is but to state the sim
ple truth. , Originally the Colum
tnarfSta,, its existence btgnn in
1821 in the City of Washington.
D. C., under the auspices of the
Baptist Board of Foreign Mis
sions, connected with the old
Baptist Triennial Convention.
In 1827 it was moved to Phila
delphia, and placed under the
editorial supervision of the elder
Brantly. The elder Brantly was
an eminent scholar and educator
in South Carolina and Georgia;
at >one time, president of Beau
fort College, S. C. Among his
pupils were the distinguished
Richard Fuller and Basil Manly,
Sr. For some years —from 1819
to 1826—Rector of Richmond
Academy, at Augusta, Ga., and
pastor of the First Baptist, church
of that city, he was the coadju
tor of Holcombe, Mercer, Sher
wood, Jalez P. Marshall. Gov.
Rabun and Humphrey Posey.
He assisted in the organization
of the Georgia Baptist Conven
tion, in 1822, at Powelton, Ga.:
was the author of its first Con
stitution, and for four years its
Assistant Secretary, Jalez P.
Marshall being the Secret try and
Jesse Mercer President. 'rhe
main instrument in the erection
of the splendid Green street
(First) Baptist house of worship,
on the spot where it now stands,
and a man of tine presence and
elegant manners. He was an
eloquent preacher and a most
cultivated and scholarly writer.
He wielded a great and judicious
influence among the Baptists of
Georgia; and, on his departure
to Philadelphia, in 1826, the
Georgia Association, by special
and highly complimentary ac
tion, furnished him with a letter
of religious fellowship md affec
tionate regard. He was, at that
time, 58 years of age.
Wm. T. Brantly, D.D., had
moved to that city in April,
1826, in acceptance of a call by
the First Baptist church. Dr.
Brantly was the immediate suc
cessor of Dr. Henry Holcombe,
maternal grandfather of Dr. H.
H. Tucker, and he, on his death
bed, had recommended Dr. Brant
ly as a suitable pastor for his
successor to some of his church
members. Dr. Holcombe had
been called from Savannah, Ga.,
to the charge of that church, and
for years he and the elder Brant
ly had been coadjutirs in Bap
tist church work in Georgia. So
great was the church’s confidence
in Dr. Holcombe that the call
was promptly made, although
most of the members had never
even heard of Dr. Brantly. Still
some apprehension was experi
enced and when, on his first
Sabbath, Dr. Brantly arose in his
pulpit, wearing a white vest, a
garment unusual and outre to his
Philadelphia audience,there were
glances of doubt, if not dismay,
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
. - -
from one to another. But when,
to t.is commanding presence and
dignified and refined manner,
were added a deep, sonorous
voice, great fluency, a polished
and felicitous diction, character
ized by richness of thought and
a force of argument, which grat
ified the intellect and touched the
heart, doubt gave way to de
. ight.
Dr. Brantly immediately
changed the name of Columbian
.Star to Christian Index,as more
suitable to the character of the
paper. For six years he edited
it with great ability and then of
fered it as a free gift to Jesse
Mercer, of Georgia. Mercer ac
cepted the paper and it was
transferred to Georgia in the lat
ter part of 1833, and published at
Washington, Ga., the home of
Jesse Mercer, who, for seven
years, published and edited it,
ably, assisted by Rev. Wm. H.
Stokes. But Jesse Mercer’s long
and useful life was nearing its
end. When precisely three score
and ten years old—in December,
1839 —he offered to transfer the
paper and material to the Geor
gia Baptist Convention, present
ing with it SSOO worth of new
type. 'Fhe Executive Committee
approved the proposition and
recommended the acceptance to
the Convention in the following
May, 1840. The Convention ac
cepted the donation ; and the In
dex was moved to Penfield, and
its publication there began Jan
uary Ist, 1841, the Rev. Wm. H.
Stokes retaining his position as
editor. He had been assisting
Mr. Mercer some years, per
forming most of the labor, being
a better writer and a more schol
arly man than Mercer himself.
The history of the Georgia Bap
tist Association was nobly writ
ten by him, Jesse Mercer fur
nishing the material. Though
mainly self-taught, he was quite
a scholar, and besides nine years
of editorial labor on the Index,
he originated, and for six years
edited the Temperance Banner.
the pecuniary responsibility of
which was borne by Mr. Mercer.
As pioneer missionary, teacher,
editor and the pastor of many
churches in Georgia, Wm. H
Stokes an was indefatigable and
most useful laborer. He moved to
Texas in 1854 and died in March,
1862, at tJ»? age of 66. His mem
ory deserves perpetuation.
To our denomination in Geor
gia, the beneficial influence of
tne Christian Index, under the
care and management of Jesse
Mercer and W. H. Stokes was
most potent and timely, and for
it we should ever be grate
ful. To unify, steady and
strengthen the denomination it
did very much, owing to the pow
erful influence of Mercer and
others in its columns. After two
years of editorship at Penfield,
very creditably to himself,
Mr. Stokes married a wealthy
lady, resigned and was succeeded
as editor by Rev. Jos. S. Baker
Jan. Ist, 1843. .Rev. Jos. S
Baker, M.D. (not D.D.) was a
man of piety and ability. He
was well educated and a strong,
good, but sharp writer,who cared
little for the mere graces of
style. He edited the paper for
six years with marked ability,
deservedly possessing the confi
dence of his brethren. During
1849 the distinguished B. M. San
ders, Chairman of the Executive
Committee, conducted the paper,
which the convention began to
find a source of trouble. Even so
early as 1849 the Convention
recommended its sale ; but this
could not be effected with pro
priety. In January, 1850, John
F. Dogg was installed as editor,
and a season of prosperity be
gan under his management. For
six years John F. Dogg wielded
the editorial baton and made the
paper a source of profit to the
Convention. He was a distin
guished educator and a very
scholarly man, with a large, warm
heart and a well balanced intel
lect. He was the son of the fa
mous Dr. John L. Dagg, who, for
about eleven years was President
of Mercer University. His was
a long life of distinction and use
fulness, in various positions of
prominence, and he died but re
cently in Kentucky. His resig
nation, in December, 1855, was
followed by the election of T. D.
Martin, as editor of the Index.
In 1856 the Executive Committee
strongly recommended the sale
of the Index, asserting that “the
management of the Christian
Index, from 1840, when it was
transferred to the Convention
by Rev. Jesse Mercer, has been
a source of more perplexity to
the committee than all other
matters trusted to their charge,”
(minutes) but, instead, it was in
structed by the Convention, of
that year, to move the paper to
some one of the principal cities
of the State. Accordingly, it
w r as moved to Macon, and Rev.
Jos. Walker, at that time Corre
sponding Secretary of the Do
mestic Mission Board, at Marion,
Alabama, was elected editor, as
I SUB?/ RIPTION, Fir Yeah.-- ■•2.00.
ITO MINISTERS, LOO. f
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 20,1896.
suming the position in January,
1857. Born in Pennsylvania, he
was educated in Virginis and
for four years was the Corre
sponding Secretary of the Domes
tic and Indian Mission Board, of
the Southern Baptist Convention.
He died recently at the advanced
age of 90. A spicy writer, he
gave life and interest to the edi
torial columns during his two
and a hall years’ tenure of office.
During that time, and until the
sale in 1861, the paper was in
charge of an able and judicious
committee in Macon, of which Dr.
S. Landrum was the chairman.
The energy, efficiency and busi
ness tact of this committee in
creased the prosperity of the pa
per and received the commenda
tion of the State Convention, as
year after year it turned hun
dreds of dollars into the treasury
of the Convention.
Rev. Joseph Walker resigned
the editorship July 1, 1859, and
for two mouths the paper wased
itedbvßev. S Landrum. Rev. E.
W. Warren, of Georgia, was then
elected editor, filling the position
with great credit and usefulness
from August 25, 1859, to March,
1860. He was a facile writerand
a man of great piety, who com
manded the unbounded love and
confidence of the denomination.
Wielding a polished and graceful
pen, he inspired a devotional
spirit into the Index, and ex
erted a salutary influence in
times of great controversy. On
his resignation, to take charge
of the First Baptist church of
Macon, Ga., in March, 1860,
Rev. S. Boykin was elected edi
tor. In 1861 the war of secession
burst upon the country, and for
four years cast its lurid influence
over the land. This made the
time'for a sale of the Index pro
pitious to the Convention and,
without much opposition, its sale
by a committee was authorized.
It was offered at a stated sum to
S. Boykin. He accepted the of
fer and became its owner in the
spring of 1861. He maintained
its existence during the entire
war, until the sudden collapse of
the Confederacy, in April, 1865,
extinguished all Southern enter
prises. The paper had a larger
circulation even then than it had
ever previously attained. In
1865, the paper was sold to J. J.
Toon, of Atlanta, for.the sum of
$2,000 cash, and Mr. Toon
began the publication of the
paper in Atlanta, Ga., January
I, 1866, under the editorship of
Dr. H. H. Tucker. The paper
started on its new career under
bright auspices ; but, at the end
of six months, Dr. Tucker as
sumed the presidency of Mercer
U niversity and was succeeded by
Dr. Wm. T Brantly, the younger,
whose tenure of office also con
tinued only six months. These
two bright intellects had, how
ever, by their powerful and
graceful pens, given the paper
great prestige. Somewhat inter
esting is it that sixtg years after
the father's editorship of six
years the son should edit the
same paper for six months. It is
true, however, that for a great
many years Dr. Wm. 'll Brantly,
the younger, was one of the most
graceful and welcome contribu
tors to the Index. In 1867, Dr.
D. Shaver, of Virginia, was made
editor-in-chief of the Christian
Index, and moved to Atlanta
from Richmond, Va., where he
occupied the position of asso
ciate editor of the Religious Her
ald. A genuine scholar and a man
of the highest culture, sound in
doctrine, versed in history and a
most polished writer, Dr. Shaver
edited the paper with distin
guished ability and won the love
and respect of his Georgia breth
ren, which he still retains, in this
year of grace, 1896; for heis still
living in Augusta, Ga., in his
seventy-sixth year. In 1873 J.
J. Toon transferred his entire
printing establishment to the
firm of Jas. P. Harrison & Co.,
who became thus owners of the In
dex,and when Dr. Shaver retired
from the editorship, in 1874, Rev.
D. E. Butler became managing
editor, and held the position un
til October, 1878. D. E. Butler,
a man of commanding influence
and lofty character, was dear to
Georgia Baptists, on account of
his useful sevrices in the many
positions of honor and responsi
bility assigned him by the de
nomination. The intimate friend
and companion of Jesse Mercer
he, in his younger days when a
practicing lawyer, wrote that,
great man’s will r and to him is
due the abolition of the working
or manual-labor system in Mer
cer Institute. A man of ardent
piety and fervid eloquence he
was licensed by the Madison
church, at the age of 40, and in
1861 was ordained. Kind-heart
ed, warm-hearted, genial in man
ner and spirit, with a pleasing
address and great personal mag
netism, he was a general favor
ite. He took a prominent part
in all the religious, educational,
philanthropic and benevolent en
terprisesof our State and denom-
ination, and as editor, bank di
rector, President of the Board of
Trustees Mercer University
and for the Southern Masonic
Female College, at Covington,
Grand Master in the Grand Lodge
of Masons and President of the
Georgia Baptist Convention, he
sustained himself admirably in
all relations, and died honored,
revered, and beloved in the year
18—. His successor was Dr. H. H.
Tucker, nomen clarum et venera
bile, who gave the paper the ben
efit of his powerful pen. He was
a man of wonderful intellectual
ity, great boldness and original
ity of conception, united with
conclusiveness of logic. His
brilliant editorials attracted much
attention, and gave the Index a
high stand among the religious
papers of the day. A native
Georgia, he was educated in Phil
adelphia and Washington city,
at Columbian College. Acknowl
edging his call to the ministry,
he, after being licensed by the
Baptist church at Forsyth, Ga.,
repaired to Mercer University
and studied theology under the
venerable Dr. John L Dagg, and
in 1851, was ordained, at La
Grange, Ga, by a presbytery
composed of C. D. Mallory, J.
O. Screven,Wm. A. Calloway and
B. T. Smith. Ever afterwards
he was the most uncompromising
of Baptists and the strongest of
champions for Baptist prin
ciples and practices. For six
years he was Professor of belles
lettres and metaphysics in Mercer
University, for five years Pres
ident of the same instr ution, and
for four years Chancellor of the
University of Ger rgia. Resign
ing that office he was promoted
to the editorship of the Chris
tian Index. He was the chief
promoter of the removal of Mer
cer University from Penfield to
Macon,Ga., which was advantage
ous to the university. In the
year 18— he bought the Index
and became sole proprietor and
editor, until his accidental death
in 188 . Shortly afterwards the
paper was bought by Capt. J. C
McMichael, whose untimely death
resulted in the present ownership
of the paper.
During all its existence the
Christian Index been a
sound Baptist paper, strong in
its advocacy of missie is, educa
tion, temperance anR tzital god
liness ; and it has ever been a
staunch supporter of the Georgia
Baptist Convention and all its
means and measures, and espec
ially of Mercer University.
An Episcopalian Priest’s Reply.
Casually I picked up a copy—
January 30th—of the Christian
Index, and therein noticed in
the “Asked and Answered” col
mini, an Episcopalian asking a
strange question. I say strange,
because strange it is, for even
the most unenlightened of our
communion asking for informa
tion* on such a point as tie es
tablishment of Episcopacy in
England by Henry VIII. Our
people are carefully catechized
and instructed on that and other
points touching the Esse and va
lidity of Episcopal Orders en
quired in the issue of January.
I know you wish to be fair.
All men can strive after that,
even though materially differing,
and thus, in the spirit of fair
ness, I ask as a priest of the
Episcopal church, to correct one
or two of your statements —state-
ments which make much differ
ence in our position as a re
formed—not new—church.
(1). You stale that the first
bishops and clergy, li. e., priests
(as our Prayer Book calls the
second order of the sacred minis
try) of the reformefl church of
Engl ind, ‘ ‘came out off the Roman
Catholic church,” and that what
ever apostolic succession they
may have (and this includes the
American Episcopal church) they
received from Rome. Here I
beg to try and put you and your
readers right. The English
church was never Roman any
more than the United States of
America were ever Irish States.
It is true that for centuries—es
pecially those years succeeding
the Norman Conquest—there was
a Roman ascendancy over En
glish ecclesiastical affairs, but
that ascendancy was always su
premely distasteful to the En
glish mind, and again and again,
notably A. D. 1200, John and
the events which resulted in
“Magna Charta,” astrong pro
test was made. This for a time
—finally 300 years after—Henry
VIII., and in the sixteenth cen
tury, the Roman usurpation and
ascendancy was thrown off.
The English church reformed
herself and her prayer book —
but the church never lost her
apostolic orders or ministry.
Through all the turmoil and
trouble of Mary’s reign, Ed
ward’s or Henry’s, the bishops
and clergy still quietly went on
with their work. And as re
gards the apostolicity of the
church’s ministry that was
a rem cognit— an assumed fact
even before Augustine's visit to
the British Isles in 596 or 597.
Toe “Anglican communion,”
which embraces the thirty or
more millions of Episcopalians
throughou the world, has never
actually claimed that Christian
ity was brought to Britain by
St. Paul, but the Anglican
church does press the claim that
when you first hear of Christian
ity in England it is that of a
church possessing a threefold
apostolic ministry of bishops,
priests and deacons. This was
the case at least 300 years before
the arrival of the Roman Catho
lie Augustine, and so from whit
ever source the English church
received this ministry, it nas
been strictly preserved both in
ante and post reformation day s.
And again, when in 1776 this
country began a separate national
existence, the old ministry of
the ancient English church was
still preserved under the title of
Protestant Episcopal in the new
soil and under the new regime
(2). And just once more. You
are guilty of a lapsus lingua 1 , or
rather calami, when you state
that “Matthews” was Ihe first
Archbishop of Canterbury when
the reformation became in fait
accompli. There was no such
person as “Matthews.” You
really mean Matthew' Parker.
Matthew Parker was the first
archbishop of the reformed
church, but you again make i
gross historical mistake when
you state that his was a Roman
Catholic “ordination.” A bishop
is never ordained. He is conse
crated. Quite a different thing
as everybody knows, or should
know.
Now let me give you the plain
historical facts. I am writing
away from my books, but am
positive of what I state. Mary
died Nov. 17, 1558. Pole (Cardi
nal) died a few hours after. The
Throne of Canterbury thus be
came vacant. Thechoice fell upon
Parker. Matthew Parker ac
cepted the office and was conse
crated in Lambeth chapel, Dec.
17, 1559, not by Roman Catholic
prelates, but by Barlow’, bishop
elect of Chichester; Scary, bishop
elect of Hereford; Hodgkins,
suffragan of Bedford; Cover
dale, formerly bishop of Exeter.
Now the first two bishops had
been consecrated w'ith the o’d
Pontifical —the las. two with'the
English ordinal.
Thanking you for the kind and
generous words you have to say
about the church, and with the
anticipation that you will extend
me the courtesy of a place in
your columns for this correction,
believe me, dear and Rev. Sir,
Yours faithfully,
John F. Milbank,
Preist of the Diocese of Geor
gia, and rector of Hawkins
ville.
REMARKS.
We cheerfully give space to
the above communication, and
assure the Hawkinsville “priest”
that we appreciate the kind
tone of his reply to our recent
answer to a valued correspond
ent. At the same time we must
add that we are by no means ig
norant of the “careful catechiz
ing” through which the adhe
rents of the Episcopal church
are supposed to be made imper
vious to after doubts concerning
the “esse and validity of Epis
copal orders.” We were born
and reared an Episcopalian, and
became a Baptist only when in
the calm study of manhood we
became convinced that the New
Testament knew’ nothing of as
persion for baptism, nor of the
substitution of infants for be
lievers as the subjects of the or
dinance.
Our expression, “bishops and
other clergy,” is taken literally
from “the prayer book, " though
we were aware that the “clergy”
are divided into the three orders
of “bishops, priests and deacons.”
In the edition of the prayer book
which we have used for a score
and more of years, the word
“priest” is used very rarely—the
more Protestant word, “minis
ter,” appearing both in the order
for morning and evening prayer,
and in the ritual for baptism,
communion, burial, etc. We
have known Episcopalians not a
few w’ho shrank from the gener
al use of that w’ord “priest”-—a
word by the way never applied
to ministers of the gospel in the
New Testament.
That the clergy of the English
church in the time of Henry VIII
comes out of the Roman church is
a matter of history. Prior to
Henry and the reformation the
English church and clergy ac
knowledged the Pope as head of
the church, in a word were recog
nized as part and parcel of the
Roman church. That there W’as
a “distasteful” feeling which
sometimes was manifested
against the Roman ascendency”
is not to the point, though it
proves just what we have assert
ed as to the matter of fact. We
confess our mind is too obtuse to
see the relevancy of the refer
ence to the United States being
“Irish states.”
Certainly the English church
“reformed herself”—no one dis
putes that, but that which was
reformed was, prior to that ref
ormation, in the bosom of Rome,
freely acknowledging the papal
supremacy. Even now, Mr. Mil
bank no doubt will, without ques
tion, acknowledge the “apostoli
city” of the Romish priesthood,
his church receiving them with
out any re ordination or “conse
cration.” It matters not what
Augustine found in the British
Isles; whatever the forms he
found the church passed ur der
the Roman sway, and continued
to be ruled by the papacy until
King Henry broke with the old
man on the Tiber. In all kind
ness we must repeat that “the
first bishops and other clergy of
the church of England came out
of the Roman Catholic church,
and whatever apostolic succes
sion the church may have, came
through the Roman church.”
As to that “lapsus lingua', or
rather caZami, ’we can only say
that either we failed to write the
full name of Matthew Parker,
or the compositor was at fault.
So far as historical authorities at
hand inform us Parker was a
priest, and chaplain to Anne 80l
eyn,having been honored by Hen
ry before his break with the Pope.
Mr. Milbank acknowldges that
two of the bishops “consecrat
ing” him as archbishop of Can
terbury had themselves been
“consecrated” with the Pontifical
ritual—that is, they were Roman
Catholic bishops. Granting the
two others were “consecrated”
with the “English ordinal,” it is
pertinent to ask how’ the stream
could rise higher than the foun
tain? And it is admitted that
the “ordinal” itself was framed
by those who had only the old
pontificial authority.
A word as to “ordination” or
“consecration.” Mr. Milbank
thinks we are guilty of “a gross
historical mistake” in saying
that Parker had only Roman
Catholic “ordination,” and
adds that “a bishop is
never ordained; he is con
secrated.” To finish our
discomfiture it is said that this is
“quite a different thing, as
everybody knows, or should
know.” But we respectfully ap
peal froth tl.'e priest of the <1 io
cese of Georgia” to the “Prayer
Book ” In the latter we read
this: “The Form of Ordaining
or Consecrating a Bishop.” In
tle said form we also read that
when the person to be made
bishop is presented to the pre
siding bishop, they who present
shall say: “Reverend father in
God, we present unto you this
godly and well learned man, to
be ordained and consecrated
bishop.” “Everybody knows or
should know,” that the prayer
book so speaks.
In conclusion a word as to the
primitive apostolic ministry. If
any one point is established by
competent scholarship, it is that
there was a parity of the minis
try in the New Testament times.
This is admitted by eminent Epis
copalians, whose names and tes
timony can be easily furnished.
The primitive Christians never
heard of a “bishop” in the mod
ern sense of that word. The New’
Testament bishop was a pastor
of a church, never dreaming of
exercising any “diocesan” au
thority such as later day bishops
arrograte to themselves. The
“elder” and “bishop” were of
one order, the latter being the
Greek, and the former the Jew
ish idea in the office. In Acts
20:17 we read that Paul sent for
the elders (presbyters) of the
church at Ephesus, and ad
dressed them as the “bishops”
(overseers) of the flock (verse 28).
The “three orders” were part of
the aftergrowth, when corrup
lions of the primitive simplicity
began to creep in.
C. E. W. Dobbs.
Work Among tne Cheyenne Indians.
Kingfish, OT. )
Jan. 24th, 1896. i
When I came to this field last
July and saw the degredation and
immorality of the people, their
fondness for their old customs,
their superstitions kept alive by
the crafty medicine men, and
their unwillingness to mingle
with the white people, I thought
I could scarcely hope for any
conversions the first year. But
little more than half the year
has gone and lo,the first Cheynne
Baptist church with twenty- seven
members claims a place on the
pages of Baptist history. From
the first the meetings were well
attended with some little show
of interest. At last a little boy
died. An only child. The
broken-hearted father came and
begged Christian burial. Others
came with their sick and received
medicine and sympathy They
soon began to recognize me as a
real friend and the Chiistian re
ligion as one that made people
kind and good.
VOL. 76--NO. 8
On the twelfth of this month 5
put up the new tent furnishei
by the Home Mission Sociely and
began holding night meetings.
An unusual inteiest was mani
fested from the beginning. After
a few meetings, I gave those in
terested an opportunity to man
ifest it. Sixteen came forward
for prayers. The next night fif
teen professed conversion, and
after careful examination, were
baptized. Brother Job Ingram,
pastor at Kingfisher, assisted
me in the organization of a
church. The Lord is still adding
such as are saved. There have
been many interesting incidents
connected with this work.
An old medicine man name’
“ Lame Bull ” who was great!
interested in hearing the gospt
last summer, often listening to
sermon here, said at the close o?
the sermon that before the mis
sionaries came with the Bible,
the Indians used to worship va
rious things. But now they were
learning to worship the true God;
ihat he had worshiped him with
his medicine a long time. Now
he believed he was wrong and
maybe, some day, he’d give up
his medicine and go the way the
Bible said. Thus he committed,
himself publicly. Then a strug
gle began with the old man’s
soul. The next night he could
not be found to cry the camp. He
remained away from meeting.
The following evening I called
at his tent. He appeared sullen,
unfriendly and troubled. He
came to the meeting in the same
unhappy mood, but left before
the preaching. The next even
ing lie came, his face all lighted
up, and pressed my hand warmly.
I knew the conflict was over. At
the close of the meeting, he told
the story of his conversion- <a.nc
his desire to put the past ail be
hind him and follow Jesus, with
an eloquence born of a new’ hear'
The Indians were greatly ai
fected. It has been a glorton
meeting. The devil is fighting
hard to retain his hold on these
poor, ignorant Indians. Already
some Indians, outside the chunub.
have expressed doubt about
the permanency of the work
The brethren sent for their chief,
“ Bull Bear,” and looked forward
to his coming with a good deal
of interest, as he was known to
be quite favorable to Christianity,
and had, at one k'Shu, sent- felt
me to come and preach at hie
house. He came and went away
the same day. He told the In
dians he was glad they had
become Christians, but re
minded them that they knew
very little about this new relig
ion and few’ -of them could read
the Bible. That unless they had
regular preaching and wen
taught this new'way, they wouk
make little progress and if left
to themselves would soon go
back to their old ways. He also
said white men had come to his
people at different times and
made them many promises and
gone away. That an Episcopal
preacher came to his house about
a year ago, preached a few times,
sprinkled a few of them and
promised to build a church and
preach to them regularly. That
he had not been there for marly
months. “Bull Bear” said,
however, that he would attend
our meetings, and if the work
proved a fixture he’d be glad to
accept Christianity and unite
with us. Other prominent In
dians have expressed the same
thing. I told them that I had
no thought of leaving them.
That I had const crated my life
to this work. That I purposed
to be the friend and teacher of
the Indians as long as I lived, and
expected to meet very many o)
them in heaven. This seemed t<
greatly comfort and strengther.
them, and they gathered around
me and we had a real old-fash
ioned hand-shaking. We need
a chapel very much. It will
prove to the Indians that the
work is permanent and enable us
to reap the harvest now already
white. May God raise up some
friend just now who is able to
help us. Yours,
Robert Hamilton.
'The Courier Informant (Fla.)
says: “Dr. J. B. Hawthorne, At
lanta’s noted Baptist divine, to
gether with Prof. C. C. Cox,
president of the Southern Fe
male College at Atlanta, and Mr.
W. Woods White, of the same
city, arrived in Punta Gorda
Monday night and left early
Tuesday morning in company
with Mr. J. L. Sandlin and effi
cient guides for a good old camp
hunt in the woods, taking with
them great loads of ammunition
and provisions. They will re
turn the latter part of next
week.”
“The right of way” of the sin
ner to God by repentance, and
of the penitent to Christ bv
faith, —what a dear truth! Ther
is a way to Christ and God, open
ing before us all. There is
right to this way; for none can
close it against us.