Newspaper Page Text
©jt baptist
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WjfeMtMi W
‘The entrance <-f i hy Word sriveth light’
JAS. NATHAN ELLS, Editor.
Associate Editors: 11. C HORNaDY, Atlanta.
J. M. WOOD, Newnan.
A. C. DAYTON, L Fayette.
, D. P. E- ERETT, Florida.
ATLANTA, (x EORGIA:
SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1863.
annual meeting of the Cherokee
Baptist Convention will be held at Rome,
commencing on Friday, the fifteenth day
of the present month.
The Nazarenv ESanncr.
In two weeks from this time there will
be issued, in this city, the initial number of
‘The Nazarene Banner,’ a publication
devoted to the interests of Army Colport
ageandG neral Missions. It will be pub
lished monthly. A large number of copies
have al eadj been ordered, designed for
general distribution among the sol tiers —
and the publication will also be made in
teresting to all at home who may wish to
know what is transpiring in the religious
world.
As a matter of course, the publisher will
look to the Christian public for the means
to cirry on such a journal. Each edition
will contain twenty columns of appropriate
reading matter, and will be published at
the moderate charge of eight dollars for
one hundred copies. Those disposed to
aid in this enterprise, or who may wish to
inquire mote particularly, will please ad
dress James N. Ells, Atlanta, Ga.
Confidence in he Providence of
God.
Many persons find it difficult to trust
where all is dark and uncertain. But if
one will honor God with his cmdidenee, he
will fink that 4 all things work tagether for
go<>d to them that love Him.’ Every cir
cumstance of life—its evil as well as its
go>-d—is blessed to a confiding Christian ;
and nothing will be able to harm him.—
Ami I the changes and the shocks of lit--, he,
will stand secure; and as he advam. -> to
wards t’ . -etter land, his confidence will
be stron r,. d stronger.
————■
A. Goad War ’ ain-tig Hie Soldiers.
Yest- rday we met Rev. M. T. Sumner,
of W -rion, Ala., who recently, accompanied
bj R v. \V. 11. Robert, visited that portion
of our army now at Shelbyville, Tenn,—
Brother S. informed us that he found two
bi igau -s without, chaplains and destitute of|
any religious reaiing. The soldiers were
very glad to see th' se brethren, and large
crowds gathered daily to hear the Word
preached to those composing these brigades.;
Tracts and religious j -urnals freely
distributed, and received with many thanks.
Several manly soldiers voluntarily came
forward and besought the missionaries to
pra\ for them. Such an exhibition of re
l g <>us feeling, we are assured, has rarely
been witnessed any where; evidently the
blessed Spirit is work in that and other
portions of the army, and we trust the
time is not fir distant when G id’s people
will be made to rejoice in hearing shouts of
victory from hundreds and thou-an Is who
shdl have enlisted under the banner of
Immanuel. God speed thewoik!
Brother Sumner was on a ‘tour of in
spection ’ in Tennessee, and says that Gen.
Polk, Dr. Q iintard, and other devoted men
furnished every possible facility in thr ac
compbshment of his object.
Religious .V«»tice.
There will be a series of meetings held
in the First B ipttst Church, in this city, for
several nights. Preaching by Elder B. F.
Tnarp, of Perry. Services to-night.
Christian Letters.
During the recent revival in Barksdale’s
brigade, at b redericksburg, a soldier in re
lating his religious experience said that a
letter from Its w ife, exhorting him to n ake
God his friend, stirred up his heart to
prayer. Let all Christians speak a word
for the soul, in faith as well as love, when
they write to their friends in the army.
Sabbath School Hymns —We have re
c ivel A Collection of Sabbath School
Hvmns. comp led f„ r the benefit of the
Children in the Confederate States ’ sixty-
t*o pages. Tne publication is nifich need
id. ant will prove useful. Rev W. J W
C. 'wder, Raleigh, N.C., wil; fillorders.
S ugle c -pies, thirty cents; one hundred
Copies, twenty five dollars.
a i& s a. seassa
Flowers.
If there were no indications of the bounty
and goodness of our Creator except in flowers,
that evidence would be all sufficient; no better
evidence of God’s high attributes would be
needed. Turn away, reader, from the man
who says it is benea h you to admire flowers
the ‘ favorite children of Nature.’ When man
is ruled by animalism and materialism, he ha
no love for flowers; but when he becomes
I
elevated, then he loves them above all books—
all poetry. Lite atm e, were flowers taken from I
it, would be as if a magnificent flower garden ;
had been blighted in a night, and in the morn I
ing nothing remained but blackness. j
God has adopted fl >wers as symbols to reveal
j His own nature The lose has been sanctified
so that it carries not alone its own beauteous
form and color, but the beauty of His O ’ n dear
Son. The lily has become almost sacred from I
the use made of it in the Scriptures. That '
which has been so impressed by the Divine (
mind should not be cast out as unimportant or
trivial. The birth place of man was a garden, I
and so was the scene of ihe resurrection of the
blessed Christ.
Ones ITU ore.
. Though we have several times called the at
tention of the public 10 the subject, the ‘ Home
for Invalid Ladies,’ we aie glad of another op
portunity of commending it to our readers. We
have end-used ihe enterprise simply became we
know it to be worthy, and we would have it
carried through upon its own intrinsic merit.
In a former number, we h we published the
proceedings of the Convention of the Weekly
i Southern Press, convened at Milledgeville, Ga.,
April 2, in regard to this object, and to-day we
| invite the attention of our readers to the re
sponsive circul ir of the Finance Committee.
The brethr- n of the press, generally, have
proffered their services in aiding ihe ladies in
■ ibis, and we hope they will come up like m«n
- to their oblLati ns, and continue the work. We
, are not actuated by selfish or pecuniary mo
tives. Till- consciousness should give us re
newed zeal and pleasure in our endeavors. We
are not paid to assist Southern women in this
' work of theirs. Vwplace the enterpri-e before
! the public, and commend it for its own indtvid
i ual worth; we wish it success because we kn w
, it involves a praiseworthy object, and that the
Institution will be most desirable to have among
us. To see it succeed, that alone should repay
us for our efforts in its behalf, and, in the future,
' the gratitude of thousands of suffering women
> will be ours.
If an object is worthy, all intelligent minds
will comprehend it at once; and if worth}’, why
not assist in its promotion ? If we wish to do a
’ good seed, and have the power, why not aid at
' once If this • Home for Invalid La-lies’ is a
( dcsider<~'um to us as an people, why
withhold our he p ? Dr. Puvcll will invest all
; his private property in the erection of the build
j ing, and thus venture ail his pecu ilary interest
;in its success. If the ladies des re to furnish the
, Institution by d matio s from the Southern peo-
- ■ pie, let us give them all the help we can Their
1 motives are pure, their object most commenda-
I nle. Persevere, ladies, and you will yet erect a
i noble monument in your memory. You have
I our cordial, best wishes; we will help you all
; wc can, and let the Southern people all h< Ip by
, sending in his or her mite, or a larger and more
generous portion.
omitted to credit the article, ‘ Soldiers’ Or-
I phans,’ to the Intelligencer, as marked.
But our neighbu-’s point of order, so far
as relates to the ‘Speech of Gov. Brown,’
lis not well taken. The editor of Tne Bap
\t.st Banner employed an excellent phoneti-
I cian to report all the speeches and proceed
ings of the Convention at Griffin. That’s
all.
The War Sews.
Stirring times during the past week.—
On ihe 3d instant, Stonewall Jackson at
tacked the enemy near Fredericksburg, and
drove him to Chancellorville. Tne next
day the fight was renewed, the enemy routed
from all his positi >ns, driven back to the
Rappahannock, and at last accounts was re
treating over that stream. In the impress
ive language of Gen. L -e’s official despatch.
‘God has given us another victory.’ We
regret the death of' Gen. Paxton In the
engagement G n. Jackson lost his left arm.
and Generals Heth'and A. P. Hill were
slightly wounded.
Ou the same day, a federal craft and two
barges, laden with medical stores and ra
tions, in attempting to run the batteries at
Vicksburg, were burned to the water’s edge.
|The crew were captured.
After a five days’ chase from North Al
ab.ima, sixteen hundred Federal- have been
captured, mar Rome in this State, by Gen.
Forrest—together with the sane number
of Enfield rifles, side-arms and hor.-es.
Convention of spinners.
It is proposed by Mr. E Steadman, of
Lawrenceville, that all the Cotton-yarn
Spinners in Georgia meet in this city, on
the 15th instant—to arrange ‘a united es
fort ’ to assist the Quartermaster General
in procuring yarns to be judiciously divided
among the needy families of our soldiers.—
This is an important matter. The Legis
lature has authorized Gen’! Foster to get ,
a supply of yarns for the purpose indicated. ■
-old vv trust the factories will be well rep
resented here on next Saturday.
Army Missions —Secretary S-imner, un
der date of April 17. writes:' - In the ia-t
snx weeks, tne Board ha- appointed ten ad
diuuual missionaries to tne armv
Tidißags from oiir Army.
Shelbyville, April 29, 1863. !
Brother Ells: Two days ago I got the ,
first, copy of 4 The Baptist Banner’ that, I (
have seen. lam highly pleased with the .
st) le in vv hich it is gotten up, and especially .
with its rich feast of thought. Its adapta-
I lion to the several departments, both civil
and military, is admirable. I send you
| thirty dollars for thirty copies for three
j months. ’ *
Reports of labors, in our Chaplains As-
■ sociation, yesterday, exhibited a much hap
pier state of affairs than heretofore. Bro.
Hearn, of Stewart’s brigade, reported a
■ meeting in progress, forty-five hopeful con
i versions, and about the same number still
I inquiring. Brother Finney, of Ector’s bri-
I gade, reported two conversions and thirty
! mourners ; and I had the pleasure of re
porting a happy meeting in progress be
tween my own regiment (the 12th and-Lth
■Tennessee consolidated) and the 29. h Tenn.
The chaplain of the 99. h and I are laboring
together, and have the efficient cooperation
of ministering brethren who carry iheii
i muskets. Brother Sutherland, of the 29th,
I was not yesterday, and 1 was una
ble to <Hve number of professions
durin--’- the meeting. He teils me today,
however, that there have been about twen
ty-five in the regiment. In my regiment
ten have professed faith —so that the vvhole
number is about thirty-five. There are
still near ih.it number of anxious inquirer.-.
I h -p? that we m ty be able in a few days
to chr -nicle more soul stirring events than
these, even —f-r the, time seems to have
fully come for God to bless the army of
Tennessee with abundant hr-ly effusions
of grace. Where there are chaplain**, the
men seem eager to hear the W ord ; and
regiments that have no chaplains are fre
quently the Macedonian cry, ‘Come
over and help us.’ Oh, that these cries
might reach not only the ears, but the hearts
of ministers at home!
Yours fraternally, W. T. Bennett,
Chaplain 12th and 47th Tenn. Reg’t,
Cliealhani’s Div., Polk’s Corps.
The following extract of a letter, from a
correspondent in the 4th regiment Virginia
Infantry, 'will be read with interest by those
who piay for the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit upon our soldiers :
“God’s promises to meet with His chil
dren, and abundantly answer their requests,
have be»m wonderfully anti gloriou-ly re
deemed in our brigade for several weeks
past. The labors of our lov?d chaplains
have bi-eii greatly blessed, and many who
were exposed to the wrath of God are now
en-ibb-d to r< joiee in His favor. The good
work is still going on. May the good Lord
gi-ant still larger displays of His grace !
Pi ay for us.”
Editors of relig’ous papers may derive
great encouragement from the uniform tes
timony of chaplains as to the good which
their labors are accomplishing.
Clinton, Tenn.,.April 27 1863.
Dear brother Ells : Permit me to make
a brief report of my labors since the first of
January. 1 have held one meeting which
lasted eighteen days, during which there
were twenty conversions; and on the 12th
I baptized seventeen. This labor has been
bestowed with Salem Church and vicinity.
I hope the time is nigh at hand when the
glory of the Lord will be seen and felt
among His people. The Lord can w-ork
and none can hinder; and blessed be the
name of the Lord ! Amid the din of war,
let us have on the breastplate of righteous
ness and the shield of faiih, that we ma\
i be able to contend against the powers of
darkness ;■ and, like good soldiers of the
Cross of Christ, let US fight the good fight,
, that we may obtain a crown of life.
You s, C. L. Bowlings.
It.iiiuay Culportage
i A railroad officer lately said to Elder
Carroll, a missionary, ‘ You ought to have
a colp irteur on my train all the time.’—
On some routes we wot of, this suggestion
night well reduced t» practice.
A’ew I'ashion.
A writer in the Holston Journal ‘ don’t
admire’ the ne* fashion introduced in the
W } theville district, by young women, of
-itting in church with bon- -If. Hear:
“ If the weather was war m, I sliuu d have
supposed they did it to cool their heads •
but it bring cold weather, I came to the
conclusion they did it to exhibit their head
ornaments, ribbons and net work, or some
thing else.”
The Wheat Crop.
Papers from every direction give the
strongest assurances of an abundant crop
of wheat. So far, no cause for injurv has
neen developed, and it has so far advanced
hat there is no reason to anticipate any.
O.her kinds of grain present an tqu illy
flattering appearance, and specula or- in
d »ur may look out for a tumble in prices.
;' ♦ *
Confederate States Bible Society.—
Tne receipts acknowledged by iheltea--
irer. io the 18. h uli., amounted to $539,-
i 064,20.
M. Foresnau. !
The brethren of Coosa Association will ’
read the follow'ing letter from brother F..
with painful interest. Will not all pra) f
for him, that God may comfort him in hi- '•
afflictions, deliver him from his enemies, 1
and sustain him in his work? W.
Sanseois County, ChhAaw Na tion, )
March 21, 18U3. J
My Dear Brother Wood:
Through the kindness of Major Vose. I
have some hope of getting a letter through
to Georgia. «>, how anxious I have, been,
for a long time, to write, to you and th< j
many kind and good brethren of Georgia,
whom 1 esteem and love, much; but seeing
no w'ay of getting a letter through, I did
not write. I will now give you a short
.-ketcti of w hat 1 have had to undergo since
I returned from Georgia.
On my return, I found my family forty
miles from home, on Grand River, refugees
from the hostile Creek and other Indian
tribes, with a few' of the Cherokees—m\
former neighbors almost destitute of any
thing to live on, and several of my familv
sick from exposure to the cold. On the
24,h day of February, one of my daughters
died. The next day we had to move again,
to get out of the w ay of Federal troops and
hostile Indians, although one of my daugh
ters was still very sick. After travelling
about forty miles, my wife was taken sick
1 and not being able l<» get an;» medical aid,
, she died on ihe 11th day of March. Two
of my children being still very'sick, with
my distressed family I removed and camp
ed in the wilderness until the first day o!
April, and then returned to Grand River.
‘ On the filth of April, 1 was able to get a
. house for my faniilj to stay in, and through
; the goodness of God, my children were re
stored to health, and I could now resume
my work as a missionary. My field ex
tended down the Grand Liver and Arkan
sas River to Webb’s Falls. 1 had good
; congregations at all my appointments, and
, a deep interest was awakened in ihe several
neighborhoods that 1 visited. But we were
soon to be interrupted ; for, by the first of
July, the Federal forces, with the Kansas
' jay hawkers, marched into our country, and
. the Ross and Jones party (the Pin Indians.
. as they are called) all joined tie Northern
forces —so about two-thirds of the Chero
kces have gone N--rih.
On the third of July, I and my son-, only
thirteen vears old, had to leave home, to
■ keep from being taken or killed by the hos
tile Indians (as they killed al! they took,
whom they knew to be true Southern men),
L and to get out with some of my horses. I
■ left the balance of my family behind, at tin
tnarcy of my enemies. I was not able t->
get my children until the latter part of Au
gust. 1 did not get my clothing, &c., until
j the last, of September, ami ihen didn’t g< t
all our things; I had to h-ava some of them
jon the w ay. I lost all my stock except two
I horses.
We are now living in the Choctaw’ Na
tion, about forty-fne miles from Fori
Smith, and expect to remain until fall, un
I less we are driven further South by the
North.rn forces. We have hard living
these war times. Provisions are very high
and hard to get. Beef is worth from 15 to
’25 cents per pound, and Hour from 840 to
850 per 100 lbs., and other things in pro
portion. At present, we have about half a
- bushel of corn, and about 100 or 150 pound
[ofmpat, and 840 in money—all told; and
I what 1 am to do to support my family, I ,
! know not. 1 trust to_Hinx that feeds the
> young ravens.
p lamat a loss what course to pursue in
the future. I sometimes have a desire to
1 go into the Cherokee regimen’s, and preach
? to the soldiers ; but, at other times, I think
i perhaps it would be better to labor among
1 the Cherokee refugees that are scattered
in the northern part of the Choctaw Na
tion.
O, how it cheers my heart to hear from
L the dear brethren and si.-ters in Georgia.—
c Brother Vose thinks that letters might
. come through via Vicksburg to Little Ruck,
and on to Fort Smith.
’ From your unworthy brother, in the love
of Christ our Saviour,
D. M. FOREMAN.
« —+ >
For the Soldiers.—We acknowledge
the receipt, through Elder Ros- - , of five dol
lars, contributed by Mrs. Jane Dean, of
Ib-rne, to aid in sending 7he B inner to our
sick and wounded soldiers in the hospitals.
Also, two dollars from J. G. Davis, of
’! Newnan, tor same purpose.
Friends, the books are still open. Will
■ vou invest ?
J
I
Waters’ Pamphlet.— We have received
from Col. H. 11. Waters, Secretary of th*
Executive Department, a copy of acts and
resolutions of a public character, passed a:
the called session of the General Assembly
in March and April last. The acts are for
ty four in number, and the resolutions four,
which, connected with forty-four acts and
fourteen resolutions passed in 18G2, forma
neat pamphlet of eighty pages, w hich can
be had, at $2 per copy, by addressing Col.
Waters at Milledgeville, who assumes the
ri.'k of all money sent by mail for it.
Southern Baptist Convention.—The fbk
lowin-r bre breu have been appointed delegates
from Virginia :
James B Tay’or, A 31 Poindexter. T B Jeter.
J Lansing Burrows. L W Seely. J B S< lon:on.
A E Dickinson, D Sb -.ver, Gtorire B Taylor.
Thomas Hume. 'I G Keen, A Broaddus, 11 A
Dodge, C C Chaplin, A B Brown, C Tyree, W
F Broaddus, A P Abell. John <J Turpin, R II
Bagby, Andrew Bjoaddus, Jr, Thus W Svdnor.
J B Lacy, J B Hardwick. R Ryland, H ii'Wyer,
A B Smith, VVm R 3lcD< Hal’d. J A Haynes, i
" Greer, B Griruslev, C Ge**rge. J H Fox, Jno
'3 in Jones, J Walker, PC Hoge, L " Allen,
, J D Coleman, W Huff, J A Davis, G E Dabney.
[M>-- Bnpt st Bar.ne’-.]
The Army in Tennessee- Sts Wants.
The wants of the army is the great ab
sorbing question of the day, and should
claim the attention ofall true and patriotic
men. The sacrificesand hardships of our
brave defenders have placed those of us
who remain at our homes under untold ob
ligations. Their physical wants are toleia
bly well supplied, but this is n-<t true in
regard to their spiritual. It- i s true that
much has been done and is doing to supp ! y
chaplains, missionaries ami c--lp--rtr ins,
but tile half is not accomplished that is de
manded. Still whole brigades and regi
ments are without, a preacher, and have had
none to point them to Jesus in months past.
Where are the ministers of Christ? Are
they doing their duty to ncglectjthis band
->f men seiluded, as they ar.- in most cases,
from the privileges of the sanctuary, and
-uffered to toil on, and none to speak a
word of comfort or encouragement, to them
in the hour < f peril and suffering?
1 have just. r> turned, brother E i itor, from
ihe. Arm) in Tennessee. The first day I
was out, a few’ miles from Shelby villi', I
found two brigades with -ut a chaplain, and
n ver have 1 seen such demonstrations of
j -y whin the soldiers learned that, brother
Robert and myself 4iad come to visit them
.iiid give them tracts and religious papers,
ami preach to them <-f the Saviour. 1 hrs
work can not be neglected without fearful
responsibility. The people of God must
awake to duly and see that, their sons, their
brothers and' fathers are not allowed to
tall without all suitable effort for their
eternal salvation;
Tracis are wanted, Testaments are want
ed, preachers of Christ are wanted, and
the piayers and sympathies of Christians
ire wanted. Shall they be had ?
I suggested to brother Robert to remain
ami labor among these loved ones. He
consented, provided the arrangements could
be made in - amp for his accommodation. —
At once the commanding officers said that
mailers shall be all arranged, and 1 left him
<ni ihe field. The four days I was there,
ihrough the courtesy of Dr. Quintard,
chaplain of the Ist Tennessee regiment, and
acting on the staff of General Polk, horses
weie detailed from the body-guard of the
General for our use. The General is one
of the most accomplished gentlemen and
Christians I have ever met. It was with
pleasure he facilitated my movements for
the accomplishment of the objects of the
D-mastic Board. He spoke beautifully
upon the results to the army and to the
! country of our missionary labors, and bid
i us God’s speed.
Too much importance could not be at
i taeh-'d to these labors in the mind of every
Chiistian patriot. The Southern Baptist
Convention meets tins week, and I do In pe
a now interest w ill be revived and measures
adopted to meet the spiritual wants of the
lanny. Why can’t the Domestic Board be
emp -wared to inaugurate a general system,
of Colportage, to meet these wants of which
1 have spoken? Additional Tracts should
i-p pnbli-hed, and Testaments provided.—
Why cannot the Board attend to this whole
matter? The present organizations only
look to meet local demands—they cannot
see to the whole field—and does it not
properly belong to the General Convention
to supei intend such a work ?
M. T. S.
[For The Beptl t Tat<ne> .]
•-Time ami Place for Holding- the
next Conventio ’.”
When the Moderator reached this it* tn
<>f business, in the recent proceedings at
Griftin, it was found that no Church had in
vited the Convention to hold its next session
I with it. “Where shall the next Conven
tion be held?” asked the Chairman. But
there was no response. At length, when it
was announced that there was no applica
tion for it, brother William 11. Robert, of
LaGrange, moved that the next session be
held with the S cond Baptist Church in
Atlanta. Tne motion having been made
and seconded, the Pastor of the Church,
after a pause, invited the Convention to
come to Atlanta ; and this was accordingly .
designated as the place.
' I believe that this is the first time in
which the Georgia Baptist Convention was
wiihout several invitations for ihe pleasure
"I ns company in the following v ear. —
Ihe unsettled slate of the count!",, the scarc
ity of provisions, ami apprehensions for
the future, were doubtless tire jnincipal
reasons why they failed on the present oc
casion to receive the usual courtesy. The
I Convention has grown to be a large body
laud is increasing every year; and the
; draught upon the church with which it
: meets is considerable.
But perhaps another reason might have
, deterred some churches from inviting the
; Convention. Besides deh gates, there are
usually a much great-r number of visitors,
■male and fi male, in attendance, than of
Jul-gates. Members of the Convention,
sometimes, come with their wives and their
J children and their grandchildren, their
i sachhearts and their servants, and expect
ihe Committees to a-sign them to lodgings.
Inis is a pretry serious tax at the present
time. Ordinarily, such persons would be
welcomed most cordially. But in time of
war and of such high pi ices as now rule for
provisions, persons who are not delegates
, -should remain at home, unless indeed ttiey
go on a special invitation from f iends or
relatives. At the recent session many
were, present, probably, on this iuvitatum—
tint others w v re not. Delegat»s sh< uld
expect the “committee <-n ho.-pitalilv ” to
make provision only f>r those persons who
are actual members of the body.
Qcis.
Deceased —The Rev. Robert Baird, D,
D., once favorably and widely known
throughout our Confederacy, recently died
■at the i.'i th.