Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-08-14
Correspondence of the Journal of Commerce.
Religion in California.
SAN FRAxclsco. july Is,

/ SAN FRAScIsco, July 1st, 1853.
The past fortnight has been one Of great irterest
to our citizens. The Rev. William Speer, miss.on-
/ ary to the Chinese, having been engaged d1 ;veg-
| ing a course Of lectures On China and Chiiss,.
crowds have locked to hear him, every evening.
] Hundreds were obliged TO go away. unable &c gan
! admittanee. No building in this city was iarre
/ enough 10 accommodate the masses who sought to
! attend. The course will be repeated in another
/ pant of the city.
/ Mr. Speer was, for several years. missionary in
! China, and having become master of the language
ne was sent to TINS port by the American Foreign
Missionary Society, TO labor among the chinese now
hocking to our shores in vast numbers. Already
over thirty thousand Chinese are now residents Of
California.
Mr. Speer has now in successful operation a school
and chapel, where quite number of Chinese are
constantly in attendance, anxious TO be American
lied, may not add, Chrstianzed?-fo surely there
are christian converts among them, men who are BY
their work, sincere christians, keepers Of the Sab
/ bath, praying men. MIR. Speer has already in an
eminent degree, secured the confidence of the better
class of the Chinese, who are anxious to have a
Cl aJel and Lyceum erected for the instruction of
their eountTymen, and they have themselves opened
the bah; by pledging two thousand dollars to Mr.
/ Speer, as "a nucleus for him to begin the work A
1T has been purchased for $4,000, and Mr. Speer is
now giving course of free lectures with the sole
| object of awakening interest in behalf of this
/ most important work-and he has succeeded and
will go on and be crowned with perfect success.
MIR. Speer has, for several Sabbaths been occupy
! ing the pulpit Of the Rev. Mr. Williams during his
temporary illness, and has made many friends hav-
| ing preached with great success and ability. His
! sermons are delivered with fervor and simplicity
of style and manner well calculated to carry con-
vieton to the heart Of every hearer, and to leave
upon the minds of all, impression of the purity
| md Of that (tOSnpl which ha hos haar
sent to preach. There is no preacher among US,
whose efforts promise such great things as those of
! him of whom now speak; and we trust the friends
of China and the Chinese in the Atlantic States,
will not forget him, who IS thus laboring for the
| evangelization of the Chinese in California.
! In this connexion, must not forget the labor of
love recently undertakenin our city by the Rev. w.
! c. Pond, who arrived here a few months since in
the ship TRADE Wind, having been sent out here,
! with others, by the American Home Missionary
Society Mr.. Pond selected site in a destitute
and remote part of our city, North Beach, foot of
Telegraph Hill He began by interesting proper
/ ty-hOlders in the work. and succeeded IN getting
five years lease (gratis) OF an eligible building lot
! and Just five weeks since he began to cart lumber
to the ground for the erection of church. 1t is
now completed in every part; neat, pleasant edi-
fee, capable of holding 400 persons, at cost of
less than "a, 500 nearly all OF which has been col
lected by Mr. Pond Is own efforts among our citizens
So ii is; the work is prospering and last Sabbath
this house was dedicated to the service of Almighty
| God. We noticed that the Rev. Messrs. Willy and
Hunt took part in the exercises, the sermon being
preached by Mr. Pond to a crowded congregation.
The house was literally packed; benches were put
under and around the windows, that all might hear
the word Of God, as it fell from the lips of our
young brother, who has indeed shown himself to be
true Californian in spirit, having, by his own ef
forts built house and dedicated 1t TO the service
\ of Almighty God
Among the crowd, we noticed the Rev William
Speer Rev. Mr.. Gray Of the Unitarian church,
| Rev NJ Briggs, Rev. Mr.. White, Rev. Frederick
Buell. Rev. Blakeslie, and others,-showing the great
interest felt in this missionary field by the various
| clergymen of different denominations in our midst.
The text chosen by Mr. Pond at the dedicatdry SER
vices viii be found in ID Corinthians, 4th chapter,
7th verse. But we have this treasure in earthen
vessels, that the excellency Of the Power lay be
of God and not of us. At the close Of the SER
mon, collection of eight hundred dollars was Ia
ken up, being at the rate of over two dollsrs for
every man, woman, and child present which leaves
/ only six hundred dollars vet to be collected
T. think may safely say that before another Sab
bath dawns, money enough viii have been collected
to pay for the building entire. Where | ask, has
similar work been so well done in five short ces?
Thanks to the American Home Missionary So
cicty for sending us such a man; and may | not
add, such accompany; for all OF the eight ry the
Trade Wind, promise great things.
Just to give your readers idea Of the extent
of our growth, and rapdity with which we 1ui.i up
towns and cities, | would remark that the town Of
Oakland (Contra Costa) holding the same position
and relation to us, that brOOkyndO does to New Srk
being distant seven miles opposite and across cur
splendid Bay, and connected by an hourly steam
fsrry-nOw numbers 300 dwcllings-and on an ay-
erage one new house every day is commenced! They
have fine academy under the charge Of Mr.. Dun
can and on the Sabbath, stated preaching by the
Rev Mr. Bell, one of the missionaries of the Amer
lean Home Missionary Society, recently arrived
per the Trade Wind Mr.. Bell informs me tnat he
is now engaged in building Church, 46 by 10, and
he intends 10 pay for it as the work progresses.
The First Congregational Church, 4. Dwight
, Hunt, pastor. have at last completed their Ene
brick Church edifce, at cost OF forty-iye thou
sand dollars The Church is to be dedicated the
second Sabbath Of this month.
The Unitarian Church have nearly completed
their brick ed6ce, and have paid S45,OOO IN cash
1t will require about $4,000 more to complete H.
The Rev Mr. GRAY, of Boston, pastor, mas arrived,
and will enter upon his duties, the th'rd sabbath OF
| this month The Church VIII De lree from deot on
- - completion. They give Mr.. Gray salary Of
~ S o0o hesjdes thousand dollars sent to defray his
ha Roman Catholics have commenced breaking
! .onnd for their Cathedral, which is to be an i'm
Sgense edifce of stone, and will probably consume
a year in its erection
D We rejoice to add, that the San Francisco Bible
Society, (auxlary to the American Bible Society
of which the Rev. Frederick Buell. is the aren't
have nearly completed their new depository recent
ly destroyed by fire The building is OF brick
three stories, and fire proof We feel grateful To
the Rev. Mr.. Buell. the faithful and devoted agent
OF this city, for his untirng efforts in collecting
: funds for this edifce,-which will be an orna
ment, and, we trust growing blessing to our cit