The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1843-03-30
SPIRITUAL DEsTITUTION.
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concerning the spread Of his Gospel will
!. interesting. I am disposed 70 s1bmii 10
yOar attention. ms following faels and enn-
sidsrali0as, connected with the disiribu-
Jon Of the Bible in this ssate.
While engagel in soliciting donaiicas
4, Inc Amsrican Bible Society from your
congregations. several circumstances came
|, my knowledge which led me n suspecl
.iM The supply which look place several
years ago was not enlire, as 10 generally
supposed. Bat these circumstances did
NO. come unsoughL At almost every
place when presented The claims Of the
S1eiely, illusions were made 70 the effort
which hal. twelve years ago. given the
wofI Of God % every family in The state.
The inference was that very Few needed
lie Bible. and that In these days OF pres
slre charity might stay u home Cor a
whiIa. Other circumstances made me
bsIieTe lhal very many families were, At
thai very lime, destitute Of the Bible. |
fell anxiols % obtain some data from
which calculation might be made Of Inc
probable lack Of the Scriptures in this
state. The North Carolina Bible Socie-
~ giving me permission "a employ dis
Irritating agents, the counties Of Wake
and Orange were selected, in which il
was intended 10 ascertain. as nearly as
possible. the number Of families without
The word Of God.
Take county. having within lis bounds
ihs seat Of state goyernment.--which is
The location Of one OF the largest book
stores oflhe south, the residence Of Bish-
op " on. branch Of the church, end Of
1--WE regular ministers Of the leading de-
nominations Of the slate,--anl having,
IS have been informed, at least twenty
ministers, preaching tits inhabitants, who
do net reside m the town, we might con-
Glade that all The families Of the county
we're possessors OF the Holy Book. To
Be certain ia this matter. the Rev. VIII
liam =. Langlon undertook to explore
the county. lie obtained from the
Clerks Office. in Raleigh, the list Of the
heads Of all the families, a. taken in
The census Cor 1870. More than 1000
names were on the Register. lie has ex-
amined the Eastern district. and Of the
lO4T families in that district. he found
$40 wilhout,ihe Bible. The whole coun-
". At this rate. would contain $50 desti-
.uls families: more than one third Of
the whole number within IFS bounds. In
an interesting communication from Mr..
Langlon, which is now before me. he
says ut is a general impression that
there arc but few families without the
Bible. I have found this to be the pre-
yalling sentiment with ministers ami
members Of every denomination. Awor-
thy brother Of the Baptist Church lin
Wake county, stated that he did not be-
licye there were more than two or three
families destitute Of the Bible. in ten
miles square. | furnished him with a
lis, of the heads OF families. and he re-
ported AZ destitute in his own neighbor-
hood" The families without the Bible
were not too poor to purchase, or too re-
Gently formed 10 have furnished them
selves. Mr.. T.anglon found one person
who is the father Of eight children, and
worth more than SIC, 900, who never had
had Bible! lie found heads of families
from IS 10 SIS years Of age without the
word Cad. In ono instence, he visited a
man upwards ofiifty years of age, (Profes-
sing to be member Of one of the religi
Gus denominations whose children were
married, and formed in seperate families,
and neither father nor childrenowned CO.
ftheIIolyScrip,ures. Another person,
protesting attachment 10 the Church oil
Christ, hal no Bible, and refused to pur-
chase for his two sons, who were marrl'
ell one Of whom belonging to the same
denomination as his father, refused to
take the Blessed Book into his house,
These things, my brethren, were not dis
covered in land Of healhenism, or in
our own thinly settled Far West, but IN
the capital county Of the ancient state Of
North Carolina.
1t was likewise proposed to explor'
Orange county. 1.-THE influence of Uni
versity of long standing. of refined society
in its central town, and of probably score
of ministers of the four leading demons
nations of Christians, Several oil whom
are teachers of science, as well as preach
ers of the Gospel would make county GU,
secure in its possession oil the biblc
there would have been no need oil vist
,a,ion,in Orange. But being convinced
that we had been mistaken in this matter
it was determined to explore this county
In the person of the Rev.. J. A. McManni'
weHfoundsan agent willing to undertake
this honorable labor. His report up t
this date shows go families visited. o
which number 81 0 hadno Bible! Yester
day there were six families on the roa
batween Hillsborough and Chapel HI
who had nc Bible--wilhln the distance
II miles. Of HE heads OF these families
some were aged persons. some protessoa
hive b .loorcl to religious denominatio