Various

“ There are living in this mountain country two millions of white people, until recently isolated from, and untouched by, the civilization of which we are so proud. No centennial anniversary commemorates their growth in wealth and intellect. As their fathers lived, so until recently, have they. One hundred years have witnessed but little progress, almost no change, in their condition. The open fire-place, the spinning-wheel and the home-spun jeans are familiar sights. ”

“ One young man has cut logs and is building a house. I try to teach them that long prayers and loud singing is not all of Christianity—that however regularly a man attends to his church duties, if he fails to provide for his family, his religion is vain; and if he gives all his goods to his friends and lets his wife and children cry for bread, that their cries will reach the ears of God, and his prayers and hymns will be lost in this round of wailing of the hungry. All this is very different from their old Indian doctrine and hard to understand. ”

“ Engineering skill is bridging streams, crossing valleys, climbing mountains or piercing them through. On every hand we see the change. From their long sleep of a century, these valleys, these homes, this whole people are awakening. A new life is beginning, a new future, opening. ”

“ A single window, an open fire-place, and a few home-made articles of furniture, comprise the whole. The home is begun when its founders are yet children. Ignorant and poor, the boy has "took up" with the girl, and it may be they are legally married. A building-bee is announced, a little cabin erected, a few pigs bought or given, a few trees girdled, some corn planted, in so crude and shiftless a way that even an Indian, in his first attempts at farming, would be ashamed to own it, and home life is begun. Into this home of poverty and ignorance come the children. ”

“ Forgotten by the rest of the world, they, in turn, forget that beyond these mountain peaks, marking the limit of view and generally the limit of interest, a nation has pressed forward to take its place among the foremost of the earth. And yet no color line has excluded, no reservation boundary separated, this people from their fellow countrymen. Their lack of energy and the stagnation of their minds, is the explanation of this condition of things. ”

“ If there be in any Christian church a woman who will respond to none of these calls for service to the extent of a moderate annual membership fee, say twenty-five cents, she has missed the true import of the Gospel and has never entered into its most blessed privileges. Let us assume that there is no such, but that rightly approached, every woman worthy a place in the church will be willing to enroll herself into at least the passive membership of the local society. ”

“ It has so long been said, "This missionary work always has to be carried on by a few," that the expression has come to have something of the force of axiomatic truth which, of course, no one dares assail. And so the missionary society lives on, decade after decade, with less than a quarter of the women of the church on its list, and of that quarter not more than one-fourth active members. ”

“ From that time they have given themselves up to singing, praying and studying the Bible. They had, for two years, been halting between two opinions, attending the school, church, etc., and the Indian feasts and dances, too. These three having come out so boldly on God's side, has made a great change in our work here.
Poor old Running-Antelope feels very sad. It is his desire to keep the young men from learning Christianity and civilization as long as he can. He wants them to have everything in common, and to feel that for an individual to accumulate anything is a disgrace. ”

“ The establishment of a regular graded course of study, from the lowest primary grades to the college, and close adherence to such course are being felt more and more each year. More than half the graduates of this year began their education in the school, and all interested are proud of them. There is all along a marked difference between those who have come through our own primary schools and others equally capable who have had no systematic early training. ”

“ How shall a sewing society be so modified as to best subserve the present home missionary needs? Do not create friction by attempting a sudden and complete revolution. Propose that the brief devotional exercises with which such gatherings sometimes close be placed a little earlier than usual, that there may be time for some interesting missionary letter or some inspiring leaflet, or other selection, or better still, an original paper on some live topic. ”

“ Talladega College observed its nineteenth anniversary June 9th to 13th. The large gathering of students, alumni and friends, the enthusiasm and interest manifested, and the report of what has been accomplished during the past decade, showed the hold it has obtained on the hearts of the people.
The exhibitions of Cassady School, which is the feeder for the higher grades, were held the week previous. Large and delighted audiences listened to the creditable performances of the young people, who showed in their parts the faithful work of teachers. ”

“ Select and distribute brief paragraphs from the magazines concerning missionary debts, from missionary letters concerning unpaid salaries, and lead gradually up to the question whether if we were missionaries we would rather receive a box or a check for an unpaid salary. Which would best enable a minister to look his creditors, who are also his parishioners, in the face—the new pulpit suit or cash to pay off accumulated bills? In trying to decide between box and salary, the society may decide for both, and a point is gained. ”

“ Every interest of the school has been prospered and greatly blessed and strengthened. The utmost harmony and earnestness has marked the work of the year, both among teachers and pupils. During the past session, as many as sixty of our pupils have started out in the Christian life, giving evidence of change of heart and an earnest purpose to live for Christ and His work in the world. ”

“ Third.—Every woman who thinks that if she, or her sister or daughter, were heroic enough to share the labors and sacrifices of a home missionary, she ought to have some better place to live in than an old grocery, a room over a saloon or the basement of a church. ”

“ In all cases when studies have been grafted upon sewing, encourage the graft. It ought to yield better fruit than the original stock.
It should be the constant aim of those in charge of local societies to inspire [236] in the membership intelligent interest in the six branches of our work—to cultivate a spirit of liberality toward them all—to create in every member a desire to aid them all. Only with such an aim can the local society achieve its highest usefulness. ”

“ The schools are the poorest. The school houses are built of logs; a hole is cut for the window; the ground serves for a floor, slabs for seats, and the teacher is strictly in keeping with all. Bare-footed, hair unkempt, snuff stick in her mouth, scarcely able to read herself, she is the example—the ideal toward which her pupils are to strive.
Religiously, I found that these people, almost without exception, were "professors," and "had jined" not a Christian church, but some one of these native mountain pastors. The accompanying illustration gives a good idea of the mountain church ”

“ The whole spirit and tone of our work has been such that even our trials and losses, from fire and from breaks in our working force, have seemed to be turned to means of blessing and sources of strength. ”

“ Christian parents who desired to present their offspring to the Lord, having been invited, came forward and stood before the altar with their little ones in their arms. Six bright-eyed, innocent babes were, on the faith of their believing parents, consecrated to God in the Christian ordinance of infant baptism. It was a most beautiful, pleasing and impressive service.
After singing, "Take my life and let it be, Consecrated, Lord, to Thee," the pastor invited all children, calling them by name, who were ten years of age and had been baptized in the church when infants, to come forward. ”

“ Early on Monday morning, June 17th, I left home for a visit to our missions at Oroville and Marysville. I reached Oroville at about 7:30 P.M. As soon as possible I was at the Mission House, where warmest greetings from teacher and pupils awaited me. The lessons of the evening received our first attention, for it is a principle with us that each scholar shall have the English lesson promised him, whoever may be present and whatever else we may desire to do. This is the demand of good faith, and not less of good policy. ”

“ The Congregational Church at which it was held was crowded, auditors standing in the doors. All the exercises by the pupils were well rendered. The address by Jee Gam and the songs by Lem Chung seemed to win all hearts. The report of the year's work at the school was more cheering than any we have been able to make for years; the collection amounted to about sixty-five dollars, and last and best of all, the gospel work done by our Chinese brethren at the Mission House was the means of leading at least two, heretofore undecided, to take their stand clearly and decisively as followers of Christ. ”

“ The Indian girls do the cooking for the establishment. I saw them getting dinner and I saw many loaves of beautiful white bread made by them. In their work shop they make their own clothes. The boys, under the lead of the principal, Prof. Elmore Chase, work at cobbling, making ditches and cultivating the soil, and also do something with carpenter's tools. The Government pays over a hundred dollars a year for each student toward the expense of board, clothes, etc. The American Missionary Association appoints the teachers and directs the school. ”

“ Tales of sorrow and suffering could easily be gathered to fill volumes. Iberia, Terrebonne and Lafayette parishes have been especially noted as under this reign of terror, and from these we have many pupils. Three sisters of Sammy Wakefield, who was shot at New Iberia, are in our school, and many others closely connected [222] with suffering families. It has been very difficult for the colored people to get a living, and the sacrifices they make to keep the children in school are wonderful. ”

“ We congratulate our young people at the South that so soon they have a representative performing such literary work for the people of Africa. Much of such work seems drudgery, but it is necessary to opening the light of life to the people who sit in darkness. ”

“ Our Chinese Church in Marysville, some years ago was reported—truthfully, I am sure—as in proportion to its numbers and its means, the Banner Church of the country for its contribution to Foreign Missions. But now only one member, a deacon, resides in the place. He is a cook at one of the hotels, and is unable to leave his work till about 8:30 P.M., but he "holds the fort" sturdily, [230] bravely. He is an athletic man, full of energy and courage, with, doubtless, some of the defects which usually attend these qualities, but honest, earnest, consistent, determined. ”

“ A society the intelligence and consecration of whose members could be relied upon would doubtless find the plan of monthly pledges, to be divided according to some accepted schedule, much easier. No special labor would have to be expended to make the need apparent, or to awaken sympathy for the object, or to choose the best means of attaining it. ”

“ You must build a house for your children, and you will have a place to stay when the weather gets cold. And every body must build houses for themselves; that is just what the Government wants all of you to do, because that is right and everybody thinks that it is right, and they were very much pleased when you do so. ”

“ The Treasurer will do more than passively receive what is brought to her hands. She will see that no one is overlooked when a canvass is made for any object; that pledges are redeemed; that the way is made easy for the poor to give without embarrassment and the rich without ostentation. ”