The American Missionary — Volume 34, No. 04, April, 1880 — John Shaqi
The American Missionary — Volume 34, No. 04, April, 1880Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 34, No. 04, April, 1880
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
The large rice planters are doing nothing for them, only to keep
them on their farms and get all the work out of them they can, and
pay them as little as possible for their work. How is this done?
By giving them great feasts on the Sabbath. At these feasts they
have the colored people come into the big house (this means the
white people’s house) and shout for them, as it is called here, but
I call it dancing. They are given ginger snaps, rum and wine. This
kind of a party, or feast, or shout, was given last Sunday (they
are called by all these names). I am told that the colored people
on a certain plantation ate two boxes of ginger snaps, and drank
two gallons of wine and four gallons of rum. They have them on the
Sabbath so as not to stop the work.
This is the way they hold them. I said in my haste last Sabbath,
if the white man was to tell them that on the other side of Hell
they could get as much rum and wine as they could get free, many of
them would try to cross over. Many of them have given up all they
have for it, and will go anywhere to get it. This is awful, but it
is the truth. Our work will tell in the end in saving those that
believe. Please excuse any rough expressions, but this is not half
like it is. I am not able to tell just how the people do act here;
still they are my people, and I must do all for them I can. Pray
for me, that I may have courage to do my part of the work.
* * * * *
A Lady’s Sunday-School and Missionary Work.
MISS O. B. BABCOCK, MACON.
My infant class in Sunday-school has grown from five to forty-five
since I came; and, as I visit all my scholars, it keeps me busy.
Monday afternoons I give to practising music in the Sunday-school;
Wednesday, we have our school prayer-meeting; Thursday, a mother’s
meeting, for prayer and conversation. This last has always been an
interesting feature in my labors among the poor, and I trust it
will be so here. Friday evening, I have a meeting for Bible-reading
and prayer in the cabins near by. The reading is greatly enjoyed
by the people. Sunday evenings I usually spend in the same
way. Saturday, at 2 P.M., I have the sewing-school, numbering
seventy-five, and weekly increasing in numbers and interest. The
mothers are delighted, and the children not less so. As the entire
burden of the work rests on me, with no white help, you can see
that my moments at home are all occupied with cutting and basting.
I have finally succeeded in getting some colored teachers, and may,
in time, have help in preparing work. I try to visit the homes of
all the scholars, that I may know their condition and needs. This
is one of the very best means of access to the people, and helps
to fill up the Sunday-school with needy ones. I feel as much at
home as if I had always lived here, and can go to any part of the
city with perfect ease. I have visited Vineville, Unionville, East
Macon, Tybee, Sandy Bottom, etc., the suburbs of the city.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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