We are in the midst of a great union effort here that has been opening the eyes of all the churches to the great need of missionary work right at our doors. The whole city has been districted off and workers assigned from one of the different churches to each district. These are expected to visit every family, take down the name and residence of each person five years old and upward, with his religious condition and needs, present those who may not be in the habit of attending Sunday-school with a card of introduction to the superintendent of any school they may prefer, have religious conversation, Bible reading and prayer, wherever it can be done to advantage, and urge upon all, young and old, a regular attendance on Sunday-school and church services. Every week, we hold meetings to hear reports from the workers in the different localities, and these meetings are intensely interesting. It would rejoice your hearts, I know, to hear the uniform testimony of delight in the work from those who, in many cases, entered upon it with fear and trembling. At the same time, the amount of religious destitution, intemperance and superstition brought to light in this city of churches and schools (there are eight churches and four schools for the colored people here), is alarming. Out of twenty-one families, visited by one worker, only two had Bibles, all but two used tobacco, and the majority whiskey. Of twenty-two families visited by myself, only eight had any church members among them, and the great majority used both whiskey and tobacco. Very few attended Sunday-school. One hadn’t been inside of a church for five years but once, and then only to attend the funeral of a friend. One, who admitted that he habitually used both whiskey and tobacco, claimed to be a minister in good and regular standing among his brethren, and he is not the only such example in the city. Several of the workers, particularly a young student from the Baptist Theological School here, made stirring appeals to the churches that they more earnestly endeavor to bring in the poor and degraded, and make them feel at home in the house of God. * * * * *