The American Missionary | Page 8

school facilities of the colored people, and last
spring, while Mrs. Peters was spending a few weeks at Alco, she had a
building 35x60 erected, and nicely arranged for church and school
purposes. This she turned over to the American Missionary Association,
and they at once sent down Rev. W.P. Hamilton, of Talladega, to open
a school and begin preaching. The second Sunday in June, he was
joined by Prof. G.W. Andrews, of Talladega, Rev. R.C. Bedford, of
Montgomery, and Rev. F.G. Ragland and Deacon Godbold of Mobile,
to assist him in dedicating the building.
Though but little was known of Congregationalism in that part of the
country, the services were entered into most heartily by all classes of
the people. Most of the ministers at Brewton, in charge of colored
churches, closed their places of worship and joined with us, partaking
in the services, and speaking with great delight of the coming of an
educated preacher and teacher among them.
Mr. Hamilton starts off with over fifty pupils in Sunday and day school,
and hopes soon to have members enough so that he can take steps to
call a council and organize a church. The brethren of Alabama are
greatly encouraged by this movement. Heretofore we have had no
church or school between Montgomery and Mobile, one hundred and
eighty miles. Now the distance is divided, Alco standing about half
way between the two places.
* * * * *
CHILDREN'S DAY.
BY REV. J.E. SMITH.
The 9th of June last was a grand day for the young people in the First
Congregational Church at Chattanooga. The church was tastefully
decorated with appropriate Scripture mottoes, choice evergreens,
beautiful flowers and sweet singing canaries. There was present a large
number of adults and a larger number of clean, sweet, hopeful children,

and many laughing, cooing babes in the arms of their Christian parents,
who like faithful Hannah and good Mary of old, had brought their
babes to the house of God to present them to the Lord. After the
rendering of a beautiful voluntary by the organist, the whole
congregation joined in singing that grand hymn, "Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty!" The pastor then read a few passages of Scripture
selected for the occasion, giving a short comment on the same, and
prayed for God's blessing on the young. While the congregation joined
heartily in singing, "Heavenly Father, send Thy blessing, On Thy
children gathered here," 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. The church, then, through its pastor, at a cost of twenty-three
dollars, presented to each child, (nineteen in number) a beautiful,
well-bound copy of the Bible, with the following written on the fly leaf:
"This Bible was presented to ---- by the First Congregational Church at
Chattanooga, in commemoration of his infant consecration to God at
her sacred altar, by his Christian parents. John 5:39."
After taking a collection of ten dollars and twenty-four cents for the
Congregational Sunday-school and Publishing Society, we sang "God
be with you till we meet again," and the benediction was pronounced.
Thus, a very interesting and we trust profitable service of an hour and
twenty minutes was ended.
* * * * *

THE INDIANS.
* * * * *
LETTER FROM MISS COLLINS.
No facts in this field can be of more interest to the readers of the
MISSIONARY than those contained in the following thrilling account
of the conversion of three young Indians in Miss Collins' mission field.

We give the facts as written by this self-sacrificing missionary.
Last Sabbath, Mr. Riggs came up from Oahe and we had communion,
and there were five children baptized and seven grown people, and
seven more were examined and advised to wait till the next communion.
It was a most interesting season.
Three of the young men were the leaders in the Indian dance. They
have always been the head ones in all Indian customs. A year ago, one
of them said in the dance that he should follow the Indian customs a
year longer--give himself up to them wholly and try to be satisfied, and
if he had in his heart the same unsatisfied feeling, the same longing,
that he then had, he should throw it all away.
On