The American Missionary — Volume 32, No. 07, July 1878Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 32, No. 07, July 1878
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
My congregation has increased to three times the number which I
found when I came to Mobile, and principally of people who have
never visited our church before. But the great difficulty is that I
am not able to hold a permanent congregation of the better class,
or to reach the young people, because of the want of a church with
better facilities for the needed work. The Sabbath-school has
increased from about a dozen to forty scholars. This is remarkable,
because one half of the time I have had no one to assist me in the
work of teaching. Four have united with the church, one of whom is
a young lady, who promises to be of great service to the church.
The prayer-meetings have been kept up well, considering that
my members are hard laboring people, and there is a growth in
spirituality and purity of life, such as is consistent with the
Bible. It is a custom in the fairs here to have a table devoted to
the punch-bowl, and different kinds of wines, to raise money for
the church or minister’s salary; but my church is a model so far as
temperance is concerned, feeling that it cannot encourage a demon
that destroys the happiness of so many homes, both North and South.
Another fact, to show the influence of our church, is the
organization of a literary club among the young people, which has
proven a success. About three months ago, I sent out notices to the
ministers, and some of the better class of colored people, to meet
at my church for this purpose; an organization was completed, and
since that we have met from church to church.
Last night the club gave its first special entertainment. It was
certainly a credit to the members who took part, and compared well
with similar entertainments which I have seen in New England. The
following notice is from the Mobile _News_:
“THE ARISTOTLE LITERARY CLUB.—This club, whose members are
among the most cultivated of Mobile’s colored citizens, gave
its first entertainment, last night, at St. Emmanuel Church, at
eight o’clock. The exercises consisted of literary and musical
recitations, debates, etc. The programme was a choice one, and
the large audience in attendance enjoyed the occasion very much.
The ‘Aristotles’ are the true representatives—or rather, the best
representatives—of the colored population in our city, and we bid
them God-speed in their earnest efforts to elevate themselves
above the low standard that generally prevails among our colored
people.”
* * * * *
Montgomery—Swayne School—A Year’s Work—Closing Exercises.
MISS MARTHA J. ADAMS, PRINCIPAL.
My first school year’s work among the colored people at the
South, has just closed. What a history it has! How rich in new
experiences!—experiences which I should deeply regret to have
stricken from my life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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