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THREE DOLLARS PER ANNUM.
Vol. XXIX.—No. 50.
• Correspaniinwt.
EUROPEAN LETTER.
T flin now in the capital of the great Prus
sian Kingdom—once the home of Frederick
the Great. Os course, I felt more than an
ordinary interest in visiting this city of vic
torious generals. Shortly after leaving Sax
ony? you enter a flat, sandy country ; in
many places 15*e land is too poor to produce
even the barren heath. A traveller is sur
prised to find here one of the finest and
most prosperous cities in Germany, with a
population of 000,000. Berlin, with its
broad, parallel streets bounded by magnifi
cent houses, reminds me more of Philadel
phia than any city I have seen in Europe.
Its large squares, splendid palaces, churches
and other buildings, are scarcely to be
equalled. J ire royal palace and museum
contaiu a ricii cabinet of curiosities, paint
ings, medals, statues, etc. The city is en
circled by a wall fifteen miles in circumfer
ence, which was being levelled to the ground
at the very time Benedck was threatening
to march his army into Berlin. The late
improvements m nrtiliery render these un
dent fortifications of little value. The city
has a flourishing trade, growing mainly out of
its manufactures of cotton, wool, silk, Prussian
blue, cutlery, etc. The fact of its being the
capital of a great nation, adds greatly to its
wealth and prosperity. The city has com
municaiion, by water, both with the Baltic
and German oceans.
1 lie inhabitants arc accused of always
being on a spree, perhaps it is because they
live on the river Spree. In 180 G Napoleon
captured the city and held a grand court in
the royal palace. The Triumphal Arch,
with numerous fine paintings, were scut by
Napoleon to Paris, but nearly all were re
stored in 1815, and the old “ Arch ” stands
rrow proudly in its former position. I was
anxious to see King Willliam and his Prime
Minister; this was not difficult, as the King
could be seen almost any day driving out.
Bismurk has a tremendous head, and looks
as savage as a Russian bear ; bo has the
reputation of being one of the most unscru
pulous politicians in Europe ; he is, howev
er, a diplomatist of the firsforder. If Bis
* mark is permitted to make a few more ter
ritorial strides, he will quite absorb the
Fatherland. England and France are very
jeplous of the unprecedented success of the
Black Eagl#, and will do all in their power
to stay its territorial flight. Austria is
quite ruled out of Germany, and it will be
many long, long days before she regains her
former position. The double-headed eagle
is crippled, but not dead; far from it. The
great revolution, or reformation of Martin
Luther, has been steadily advancing for
three hundred years. The revolution re
sulted in the re-establishment of the princi
ples of early Christianity. Luther laid
down the broad doctrine that all power is
derived from God. In Germany, those who
are opp *sed to the llomau Catholic Church
are called Protestants, but it does not follow,
because a man is opposed to liomanism, that
be is a Christian, or even a believer in the
Christian religion. Myriads of the Germans
are transcendentalists. At the beginning
of the present century the German Empire
was composed of three hundred distinct and
independent States, divided into ten circles;
each littlb State was weighed down by nu
rnerous petty royal families, to be supported
in their extravagance. The French revo
lution wrought many changes in Germany.
After the dowufall of Napoleon there was a
reorganization of the German States; they
were reduced to thirty-eight States and one
Empire, which constituted the Germanic
Confederacy, with Frankfort-on the-Main
for its capital. Tne Confederation had a
standing army of 400,000 men; 50,000
were regiments of cavalry. It was a coales
cing of sovereigns, pledged to sustain each
l other on their thrones,-which at that period
i were tottering. Austria and Prussia, with
their allies, had a population twice as nu
merous as that of the United States, situated
in the center of Europe. When united,
they become an irresistible power. The
Germans, as a nation, are devotional, if not
reiigious. They are light-hearted, merry,
and fun-loving. They are industrious, eco
nomical, energetic, and the outside world
I think them very stubborn. When Napo-
I leon 111. wanted a few feet of their territory,
merely to straighten old lines, he found
them particularly so. They go from church
'to the public gardens, where they engage
in music aud dancing, which are enjoyed by
tho rich and the poor. The Germans are
• woted for their economy. This trait in their
character is carried to such an extent that,
in the sight of the prodigal Americans, it
looks like stinginess. They allow nothing
to- go to waste; you see the women gather
ing the sweepings of the public roads, which
hey transfer to their little farms and gar
fens. Land that' has been in cultivation
or so many ages is only kept alive by con
tant applications of manure and fertilizer*:
livery foot of ground is forced to its utmost
;n producing fond for the millions who in
habit the Old Country. I wish these careful
Germans could be transferred to our slovenly
jultivated farms; every inducement should be
iffered to encourage them to emigrate to the
•South. I was surprised to see so much land
levoted to pasturage; this is found necessa-
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE & CO., FOR THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH.
ry, not only t© rest the land, but to produce
food for the immense herds of cattle, sheep,
horses, etc. A good farmer changes the
crop nearly every year; the soil would soon
become exhausted if a rotation of crops was
not observed. In many places in Germany,
tobacco is cultivated with great success; the
wheat and oat crops seldom fail; the “Irish”
potato is a favorite vegetable and principal
food in some sections ; the beet, turnip, cab
bage and carrots are cultivated extensively.
The hop and grape vineyards flourish, but
not so well as in France. Manufactures in
nearly branch prosper, from the fact
that the Uermaus work cheaply and make
honcsfc'^OQds.
I have errunk many a glass of common
beer as an excuse to see the domestic ar
rangements of a German cottage. The in
terior of fheir homes is much more comfort
able than the exterior appearance would in
dicate. The necessity of keeping the eow
stall, pig sty, and hay-stack within a few
yards of the dwelling give things rather a
filthy appearance, but you nearly always
find in a peasant’s house neat beds, with
white linen sheets and well scrubbed floors.
The children are taught to read, in fact, re
quired to learn to read. The schools are
conducted understate regulations, and only
thorough teachers are employed. The Ger
man system of education is thought to be
superior to that of all other nations. Prus-%
sia excels in education and a general diffu
sion of knowledge. Berlin takes the lead
for a high order of accomplishments, but it
is a much more expensive place than Dres
den, Frankfort, DusendorfF or Hanover. I
prefer Dresden to any city I have seen in
Germany as a place us residence and for
educational advantages. There you have
all the opportunities for the acquisition of
languages, music, fine arts, and other ac
complishments, which are desired by Amer
icans who send their children abroad to be
educated. The German system of education
is very thorough; the climate gives to boys
a robust constitution and fine physical de
velopment, which are quite as valuable in
future life as superior intellectual endow*
merits.
The peasants have their annual festivals,
which arc generally observed after harvest,
and are enjoyed by them to the fullest ex
tent. These dances partake something of
the character of the Indian festivities that
used to take place in the mountains of Geor
gia when l was a wee, wee boy, and when
the red man was king of the mountain and
valley. It was Nature’s children offering
up thanks to the Great Spirit for a bounti
ful harvest of green corn and a plentiful
supply of wild game. These feasts were
generally opened by a ball play of the most
exciting character. Fifty young warriors
were engaged on each side, in almost a nude
state, and paiuted in the most fantastic
manner. One of the chiefs would throw up
a buckskin ball, when the war-whoop would
be raised and a general rush made for it.—
In the scramble a leg or arm would fre
quently bo broken ; but that circumstance
did not interfere with the game. The "reea
_ # o o
corn dance was the richest and wildest scene;
there the squaws took their part. After the
white man had introduced whisky among
the natives, scenes of disorder and bloodshed
would often occur. I have seen the Chero
kee squaws, when under the influence li
quor, fight and pull each other's raven locks
in the most frightful manner. The last I
saw of these poor creatures, the United
States Government had hunted the families
down to the number of some ten thousand,
and assembled them in the mountains of the
Blue Ridge, preparatory to their removal to
the far West.
I shall never forget the heart-rending
scenes that occurred on that occasion. The
Indians have a superstitious reverence for
the graves of their ancestors,.and many of
them preferred death to quitting their homes.
In their efforts to escape they hid in the
mountain caverns, and climbed the lofty
forest trees. Crders were given by the
United States officers to level the trees to
the ground, regardless of consequences.—
Some four thousand of these poor creatures
perished, never reached the homes destined
for them west of the Mississippi river.—
These outrages were perpetrated upon the
Indians under the plea of advancing civili
zation and Christianity ! It was the strong
oppressing the weak. Thus it has been
from the beginning, and thus it will be to the
end of time. When Gabriel sounds his
trumpet at the last day, and the big book of
records is opened, there will be a vast mul
titude crying for the hills and mountains to
hide their evil deeds.
Please excuse this digression ; I frequent
ly wander from the Old to the New YVorld.
This is not strange, for my life’s history is
in the latter. The scenes of my boyhood
in the swcotvale of Nacoochee, and in the
lofty mountains of the Blue Ridge, where I
hunted the fox and the deer, the wolf and
the bear, the wild turkey and the pheasant,
and where I learned my A, B, Cs in the
rude log cabin, with the black-eyed Indian
damsels, those wild scenes made a deep im
press on my young heart, and l often find
myself unlocking, even in this grand old
country, this little storehouse of American
memory. G. W. W.
Berlin , Prussia, 1860.
Macon, Ga., Friday, December 14, 1866.
Richmond Ct., Georgia Conference.
Mr. Editor : Though past the Conference
year indulge me in an account of the Lord’s
doings on Richmond Circuit. The increase
upon the work, for the entire year, has been
210.
Os course there were some remarkable
features developed in our meetings. And
pray, are not all good meetings remark; ble?
One remarkable feature : There are some at
all my Churches, in advanced life, clever,
hospitable, good friends of the Church, who
have been standing just at the edge of the
pool, witnessing the healing of their child
ren, their neighbors and neighbors’ children,
and yet canuot be persuaded to step in
themselves. Such believe well, talk well,
feed well, but —there they stop.
Another thing worthy cf remark: At
Clark’s Chapel, where my meetings ccm
•niccced, there never was better behavior,
nor a more perfect coalescence among Chris
tians of every name. Whole families joined
the Church together; the brethren were
powerfully revived; and every man and
woman, so far as the writer could ascertain,
except one or two, of that large congrega
tion, were at the altar for prayer. About
50 were received here; and among them,
many choice men and women, who give the
Church great hopes cf future usefulness.
Though unassisted ministerially, the breth
ren there were great “h#p;” especially
Bro. McNair.
At Union there was the same coalescence,
and the same powerful working of the Spir
it. Bro. Bartlett and others gave me valua
ble aid here, —18 added to the Church.
Bethcsda was the next field of glory and
triumph. Sixty one joined the army of
Jesus, (a full company) none of whom, I
pray, may ever desert. This was a grand
old meeting. Many say, such an one as
they nevvr witnessed be-ore. Mothers and
fathers were made happy ; and friends long
estranged were brought together. Let Un
cle Dabney know that here was a Division
of Sons, who, except one or two, united
with the Church. And here, too, my good
friend Bob. Shaw started the highly sensi
ble effort to present the subscriber with a
fine horse, the Sons aforesaid to cover him
with a fine harness. Now this is certainly
remarkable, in these times.
From this point we proceeded to the
“ Rock,” where the enemy was strongly
fortified. After a siege of twelve days and
nights, the citadel was gaiued, the garrison
capitulated or retreated in wild disorder.
Over 20 added here. Dr. Barton and Bro.
“ Bob ” were there.
At Liberty the congregations were large
and orderly, and the presence of the Lord
was manifest in reviving, healing and add
ing. Perhaps 28 or 30 were added here,
directly and indirectly.
We had a very pleasant meeting at Bro
thersville, where I trust the seed sown in
young hearts will yet bring fruit.
Horton’s Chapel, from unavoidable cir
cumstances, had but a bad showing; and
yet, our meeting there, was a profitable one.
The Church at Factory, under labors of
Bro Ewing Johnston, assisted in some meas
ure by Bro. Hubbard, was much built up
and strengthened. Bro. Johnston preached
us some capital sermons during our meeting
at Bethesda.
May God ever bless the good brethren of
Richmond Circuit.
<sm|ra Conference Documents.
MISSIONARY REPORT.
The Missionary Board has reports from
the fullowing Missions:
1. The Concord mission , Jefferson coun
ty, was served by Rev. 11. I) Murphy, and
is in a thriving condition, and desires to be
served from the Conference the ensuing
year. Members, 200; Sabbath-School
Scholars, 30.
2. The Burke Colored mission, was
served the present year by Thos. B. Lanier.
There are four appointments, 675 members,
160 catechumens, $378 were paid for its
support. They desire the Bishop to send
them a preacher the next year.
3. The Tactory mission , in Clarke county
was served by Rev. E. F. Anderson. Mem
bers, 40; two Sabbath-Schools—lso schol
ars—2oo books in the library. This mis
sion should be kept up; there are many
poor people there to serve.
4. Morgan Colored mission, has been
served by Rev. L. B. Harbin. The mis
sionary recommends its discontinuance.
5. The Decatur White misson, was served
by Rev. J. J. Morgan and Rev. W. A.
Ilodge. The mission is reported in a very
flourishing condition, and has been blessed
with the most gracious revivals. Its contin
uance is desired.
6. Houston mission, was served by Rev.
Robert Stripling. It has 5 appointments,
145 members, 4 Sabbath-Schools—lo7 pu
pils, and is reported as a field requiring
culture and developcmeut. Paid, $68.70.
7. Pike Colored mission, served by Rev.
Morgan Bellah, has 229 members, and is in
a healthy condition.
8. Columbus City xnision, served by Rev.
C. W. Key, has 60 members, 2 Sabbath-
Schools—loo scholars. There has been
some prosperity the present year. It is re
commended that the congregations at Wesley
Chapel and Gerard, be united under the
name of the Gerard and Wtsley Chapel
Mission, and that the city mission, as
now understood, be discontinued.
No report from Jefferson mission, Cleve
land mission, and Atlanta Citi/ mission.
The Missionary Board report that they
are confined in their labors to the domestic
field. Never has there been a time when
this work demanded more attention. It
should call forth the liveliest sympa.kic-s of
our people, and their best Christian liberality.
The time has been when this Conference
could respond to the call of the most desti
tute, and the missionary’s hallowed song
and prayer was heard in all the caves of the
mountains of Georgia, and he was seen in
the hovel of the poor in the low-lauds. The
rich men of the country poured into the
coffers of the Lord of their abundance, until
the missionary treasurer could report the
contributions by thousands, and tens of thou
sands. But, alas! what a change! The
Georgia Conference has but ton or twelve
missions in its bounds. The field has not
diminished, but widened ; the demand for
help lias not lessened, but increased. The
Macedonian . call tor help is heard from
every part of our desolated Zion.
Many of our brethren have preached this
year to people utterly unable to help them.
They have served them without compensa
tion ; some walking their circuits because
they were unable to purchase a horse; some
laboring in the farm and shop—for their
owu support —yet never quitting the field.
Called of God to preach, they dare not dis
obey. With the love of sou’s in their
hearts and the lamp of life in their hands,
they stand ready to go into the dark places
of the earth and show the people the way to
the cross, and to the crown. God bless the
noble men ! and send them help onto! Zion.
2. Another fruitful field now ready for
B az and his reapers, is our suburban pop
ulation. Something must be done for them.
They are poor indeed, and many of them
exceedingly dissolute. Without friends or
fortune they have yielded to despair (but
abandoning themselves to vice of every
kind, they are wretched indeed). They come
not, to our city churches. Their children
arc like the wild ass’s colt, growing up to be
come nuisances in society. Shall we not
do something for them ? Thank God we
have the bread to give them, and the water,
that shall be to them more than food and
raiment; and we have the mercy to carry it
to them. The missionary going from house
to house talking of Jesus, reading the bible,
imploring the blessing of God upon these
wretched sons and daughters of want, will
leave light in many a dwelling; bread to
eat that will feast, the soul long after he is
gone; and hope, blessed hope will revive.
But the most important acd hopeful field for
doing sood is among the children. Let
them be gathered into Sabbath-schools,
taught to sing and pray, and to fear God,
and they will grow up to be blessings to
church and State
3. Another important and pressing field
for missionary labor is the Colored popula
tion. The negro, as an element in society,
should be educated. Our people should be en
couraged to gather the children, and the old
where they can, into Sabbath-schools, and
teach them the word of God ; thus dispel
ling the darkness of ignorance, and banish
ing superstition —so prevalent among them.
They must have the gospel from intelligent
teachers, and they will, and do, turn to us
for instruction. We recognize the African
Methodist Episcopal Church as a cola
borer among us in this field as specified by
the late General Conference.
We call upon our people everywhere to
give the subject of our domestic missions a
prayerful consideration, and to devise liberal
things concerning them. We hope for a
prosperous future.
Report on the Eiblo Cause.
Your Committee is too well aware of the
truth that the Bible needs no eulogy to ex
cite your admiration or to increase your in
terest in its circulation, to attempt to eulo
gize it.
Our duty is to invite your attention to
the deplorable fact that the no inconsiderable
number of people in the State of Georgia
who did not possess a copy of the Holy
Scriptures before the war has been largely
increased by the destruction of many thou
sands of copies, thereby, especially such as
were in the hands of our soldiers—and be
cause of the scanty replenishment possible
whilst the war continued, and by the addi
tional fact that the machinery of Bible col
portage operated by the American Bible
Society in connexion with, or separate from
its auxiliary societies, has not been practi
cable since the war closed, and also because
of the large number of freedmen who have
learned to read and who now desire and
should have the Holy Scriptures.
Our duty it also is tc suggest some means
by which we may assise our sister denomi
nations in this State, tosupply this deficiency
of the word of life. Impoverished as we
are to a large extent; receiving compari
tivcly small sums toward the sustenance of
our benevolent church enterprises, and for
the prosecution of our missionary operations
at home or abroad, it would seem to your
Committee quite impracticable to secure
E. H. MYERS, D.D., EDITOR
Whole Number, 15If
from our own people a sufficiency of money
to manufacture or to purchase and distribute
any approximation to the number of copies
of the Word of God necessary to meet the
deficiency. How then can it be done ? In
many instances the last Bible possessed by
a loving wife was sent to the camp to replace
the one lost in the rapid advance or hurried
retreat of our armies ; or was swept away by
the devouring element which consumed
ruthlessly the family mansiou with its whole
contents; and our freed men, long our faith
ful slaves, look to us for the bread of life.—
How thankful we should be that there is
presented bc-fore to us a solution of this diffi
cult problem. The American Bible Society
—that noble institution founded in pure
Christian benevolence —which has so greatly
blessed our own and other lands, stretches
forth its helping hand in this hour of
need. Your Committee would advert to a
few facts :
“ The American Bible Society during the
war did not depart from the constitution,
principles nor policy of that noble institu
tion. It sent out to the Confederate Slates
army, navy, various Boards and to individ
uals, on application, over 500,000 volumes
of the Bible and Testaments. It has pur-,
sued the most enlightened and liberal policy
toward Georgia. During the present year,
it “granted’’ to the various auxiliary socie
ties in the State, 15 to 20,000 volumes of
the Bible arid Testament, and still their
readiness and liberality know no bounds.”
It lias required no collections to be made
during the year, but has not hesitated to
send us the Holy Scriptures gratuitously.—
This has enabled us to supply to some con
siderable exteot the freedmen’s Sunday
and day schools with Bibles and Testa
ments, thu3 the necessary inter
vention of sectional, radical societies in the
supply of this demand.
Your Committee feel profoundly grateful
to the American Bible Society, and its effi
cient agent, and are sure that we but express
your sentiments when we declare that it is
worthy of the confidence and patronage of
the State, and of the South. We propose
therefore, that this Conference adopt the
following resolutions:
Ist. Our confidence in the catholicity
and singleness of aim of the American Bible
Society is such that we commend it to our
whole membership, and especially to those
who have ability to contribute toward the
spread of the Holy Scriptures.
2nd. We commend the agent to our
churches and congregations, and pledge our*
selves to render him such assistance in his
noble work as may be possible.
3d. We request the Presiding Bishop to
appoint Rev. G. J. Pearce Agent, of the
American Bible Society for the State of
Georgia. H. J. Adams,
Chairman.
Report of Committee on* Education.
The Committee on education beg leave to
report;
EMORY COLLEGE.
This College is now fully organized and
in operation with a Faculty as follows :
J. R. Thomas, I) D , President and Pro
fessor of Moral and Mental Philosophy and
Belles Lettres ; A. Means, M. D. D. D., LL.
D, Emeritus Professor Natural Science;
Rev. L. M. Smith, A. M., Professor Greek
Language and Literature; Rev. G. W. W.
Stone, A. M., Professor Mathematics; Rev.
Josiah Lewis, Jr., Professor Latin Lan«
guage and Literature; W. B. Shaw, A. M.,
Superintendent Preparatory School.
It will be seen that this old and favorite
Institution of the Georgia Conference has
again entered fully upon its work of educa
tion, and offers facilities for a complete col
legiate course of study. This is done under
circumstances which strongly emphasize its ,
claim to the favorable consideration, es
pecially of the Methodist public. The Fac
ulty, most of whom have long been connec
ted with the College,have held their position,
to the detriment of their own personal in>-
terest, and now at the earnest request of the
Board of Trustees, with no hope of a mone
tary equivalent for their labors, consent to
give to the College their time,, their talents
and their reputation.
This fact appeals strongly to the members
of this Conference. The Faculty have the
same interest in tho success of the College as
each member of this body—no more, no less.
Tlieir self-sacrifice to sustain it ought to ex
cite in us our liveliest sympathies and our
most energetic co-operation. Much may be
done by a united effort to restore to this
College a wide and sustaining patronage.—
Let every preacher in the two
ferences make an carncstr effort to obtain at
least one pupil for this Institution and its
hails will be filled at once. Only let every
one direct special effort to this work in the
early part of the year--say, as soon as he
reaches his appointment—and the result
will solve the doubt as to the permanency
of the Institution. Shall it be done? As
it is the only male College belonging jointly
to the two Conferences and as the larger
part of its endowment has been lost by the
lesuhs of the war—leaving it almost wholly
dependent upon its patronage for support —
ymr committee recommend the adoption
of the following resolution.
Resolved, That as members of tho two
Georgia ConlerenceSj we hereby pledge our-