American Missionary | Page 6

John would come up
with a saw. Then he would send him down for the hammer again, and
John would bring up the nails. How much could we learn of religion, of
history and the world around us, if it were not for grammar? Would
1-2-3 tell us all that?"
But I have not left much room to tell about the good side. Many of the
papers, for neatness, accuracy and clear expression, would do credit to
any children in the world. Especially is this true of the younger pupils,
who have received the training of the lower grades of the school. One
essay on Slavery, by a member of the Ninth Year Class, written in two
days, contained twenty pages, with scarcely an unnecessary word, and
very few mistakes. I wish you could hear some of the sensible talks in
prayer-meetings, and fervent prayers for classmates, teachers, and the
kind people at the North who are trying to help them.
* * * * *
A teacher from North Carolina sends the following:
There is not a girl in my school who uses tobacco, and that is saying a
good deal. I cannot be so sure about the boys, but none use it in school
or on the play ground.
One day our grammar lesson was changing possessive modifiers to
equivalent phrases, and the sentence "Washington's farewell address"
came up. One boy wrote, "Washington's farewell address was made of
broadcloth."
A colored minister, after reading his text on Sunday, said, "I shall put
the greatest distress of my remarks on the latter clause of the verse."
Another minister said, "At one of my stations there were men who
called themselves conjurers. One of these with his followers went to
church to challenge me. He asked me if I could cast out devils. I told
him I could, and as he was the only man in the house who had a devil,
if he would come up to the stand, I would cast the devil out of him. The

conjurer abused me terribly, became so excited I started down towards
him, and dared him to meet me, and he turned from me and ran out of
the house, so you see if I could not cast the devil out of him, I cast both
him and the devil out of the house."
At another place, he said, the people became very much stirred up
concerning the temperance cause, so much so that many closed their
bar-rooms and took their Jimmy Johns and poured the contents out on
the ground. Said he, "the liquor said _good, good, good_, as it ran out
of the Jimmy Johns, and the people shouted for joy."
* * * * *
A DOCTRINAL SERMON.
By the kindness of a Baptist missionary, we are furnished with the
following doctrinal sermon:
_Text._--"Ye are the salt of the earth."
Scene in a Baptist church. Nineteen candidates awaiting immersion.
My text am, "Ye are de salt of de yarth."
You all knows what salt am good for--it is good to sweeten
things--good to season things--good to keep things from spilin'. We all
likes salt in our victuals, some people likes lots of salt and dey has it
too; some likes jes a little, and dey gets it too, but when you eats a
whole lot of salt, you gits mighty thirsty, and you wants water, tea nor
coffee won't satisfy you neither. You cries water, and you cries till you
gits plenty of it. Bredren--de text says, "Ye am de salt of de yarth."
What does it mean? Christians am like salt--we'se put here to keep this
old yarth from spilin'--to sweeten and to season it. Some Christians
have a heap more salt about 'em then others, and when dey is full of de
salt of God's grace, their soul cries--_water_--_water_--and a few drops
on der head won't satisfy 'em neither. You must take 'em down to de
river and put 'em in. And that's what we'se goin' to do--come chillen.
* * * * *
BOOK NOTICES.
_Report of the Centenary Conference of Protestant Missions, London,
1888._ By REV. JAMES JOHNSTON, F.S.S., Revell, Bible House,
New York.
These two neat and well-printed volumes give a full sketch of the
proceedings of one of the most remarkable Missionary Conferences
ever held in the world. The addresses, papers and discussions emanated

not from theorists, but from men actually engaged in the management
of the great missionary organizations of Christendom, or who were
actively employed as missionaries in foreign fields. In addition to these,
there are papers and addresses by honored pastors on both sides of the
Atlantic, by travelers, and by students of the progress of the church in
modern times. The possessor of these volumes will have a treasury of
missionary