The American Missionary — Volume 48, No. 10, October, 1894Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 48, No. 10, October, 1894
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
"Sunday, June 24th, I preached to a good and attentive congregation. I
had the Sunday-school at half past eight and the preaching at ten in the
morning, and prayer-meeting at four in the afternoon. At this last
service I went to a farm called Baziglia. It is named for a place in one
of the valleys of Piedmont--a place which is noted as a fortress during
the persecutions of the Waldensean Church. It was the refuge of the
Waldenseans when they reconquered their native country after their exile
in Switzerland, Germany, etc., and in memory of that famous place, two
or three families gave to their farms the same name. The Fourth of July
was celebrated here at the school-house. There were forty-four children.
I spoke to them of the independence of the United States of America, its
founders, its Declaration of Independence, etc. For July and August it
is impossible to have the day school; it is too hot, but I will continue
the night school, D.V., at least for two or three nights a week. The
Sunday-school will go on as usual--no vacation for the Sabbath school."
The old fortress of Baziglia witnessed many heroic efforts of the early
Waldenses, both in defense and attack. The name is very dear to the
children of the earlier heroes, who have established Valdese in this
land, and so named some of their farms and homes Baziglia. The glimpse
given us in the quotation above, of the life in this Waldensean colony,
is an impressive picture and a most hopeful prophecy. These Waldenses
can not prove "dangerous foreigners" who come to our shores with earnest
Christian plans and purposes, and read the Declaration of Independence
to their children on their first Fourth of July in America!
Photographs of the buildings at Valdese were recently sent to our
office. Among others was one of the manse and one of the school-house.
These two buildings are of especial interest to our constituency,
because we help the pastor and teacher. Over the school-house in which
our pupils gather was floating the stars and stripes. These earnest
people who celebrate the Fourth of July, who read publicly our
Declaration of Independence, who plant the stars and stripes on the top
of their school building, are the kind of foreigners that we need, and
they certainly merit our most cordial assistance in the beginning of
their life in our land.
In church polity the Waldensean Church differs slightly from our
Congregational sisterhood. The local church is independent in the
direction of its affairs. They have a "Board of Evangelization" which
has supervision of their churches. Dr. Tron, a member of this board and
president of the American branch, has properly great influence with the
local church. The Waldensean Church naturally looks to Dr. Tron and Dr.
Prochet for counsel and direction. This church at Valdese recognizes
itself as in fellowship with our great Congregational body, and
especially with the local churches of North Carolina.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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