American Missionary | Page 7

west and north of us
in attending this school. One of our students visited many cabins over
the mountains during his vacation, and found that school advantages
were very scarce and poor. He found poverty and ignorance of the
world and of books. Some of the people are still using the old-time
method of kindling their fires by flint and steel instead of matches. He
met many young people who were thirsting for books and schools, also
numbers who had struggled up through the darkness to become
teachers in the neighborhoods. These almost invariably wish to come to
our school, and say they shall be here as soon as their schools close.

Many are too poor to come. This is true of a large number of young
girls, who would come if they could work for their board or in any
possible way pay for it. Whoever will provide funds to meet the
expenses of these neglected girls, and place them at our school, and
prepare them for the future duties of life, will be doing an angelic work,
and in the end will do the greatest good that can be done to this people.
Very much of the money spent for this mountain people will be the
same as thrown away, if this effort is not made to educate the girls.
* * * * *
OUR CHURCH WORK.
A letter from Rev. F.R. Sims of the Medway Congregational Church,
McIntosh, Ga., reports that seventy persons have been added to that
church on confession of faith, within the last four months.
From Knoxville, Tenn.:--Our attendance at preaching services has been
large and attentive. On the second Sabbath of March the members and
friends made special efforts for collection and raised $30. There has
been a happy increase in the Sunday-school and the prayer meetings.
From Dudley, North Carolina;--It gives me much pleasure to write you
that the Lord has abundantly blessed us in our work at this point.
For three weeks a revival, with much success, has been going on in my
church, the Lord has been with us disturbing the slumber of the
sleeping Christians and bringing sinners unto repentance. We have ten
converts and ten more seeking the Lord. We are all very much
encouraged and are now looking forward for a brighter and more
encouraging future.
From Macon, Ga.--At our last communion we baptized and received
four into our fellowship on confession of faith. They were all young
people who are in school and full of promise. Others are expected to
unite with us next month. There have been seventeen additions to the
church in the last eleven months. There has been some real progress
made by the church in all directions. I find in our church meetings a
much more gentle spirit between the members than when I first came
here, and I feel that this outward improvement is due to inward spiritual
growth. I can see this growth in the prayers and testimonies of the
weekly prayer meetings.
* * * * *
REVIVAL AT WILMINGTON, N.C.

PROFESSOR GEORGE A. WOODARD.
The revival which took place in this church the latter part of the winter
was, in some respects, a model one.
At the close of one of the Wednesday evening prayer meetings, our
pastor spoke to us with the view of ascertaining if the church were
ready for special work; then he appointed another prayer meeting for
Friday night. With faith, and resting upon the promises of God, the
work was begun the next week. At first the attendance was small; but,
as the meetings continued, the interest increased, and it became
necessary to move into the large hall of the school.
It was evident throughout that God was in the work and that the Holy
Spirit was striving mightily with sinners. A deep, quiet emotion
pervaded the meetings, in strong contrast with the revivals held in
many of the colored churches of the city, where the excitement
becomes intense, and the confusion great. Their meetings are often
continued until long after midnight, in a crowded, unventilated room,
whereas ours never closed later than ten o'clock.
As a result of our revival, although other revivals were going on
amongst the colored people at the same time, upwards of forty were
born into the Kingdom, for some of whom, many, many prayers had
been offered up; and all was done in answer to prayer. Among these
were several cases of interest, two of which I will mention. One is that
of an intelligent young man employed by the leading dentist of the city,
for whom he does the mechanical work, which previously had to be
sent North. Although of excellent character, he was a skeptic, reading
the writings of Ingersoll, Paine, and others. For years, our