Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-06-07
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FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
Quarterly Report of Rev. VIM. J. CRowDER,
Colporteur, in Fayetteville and Whining
ton NJ G.

ton, n. G.
During the past quarter of months have
labored mostly in the towns of Fayetteville
and Wilmington. Both of these places are
highly favored with good, and generally we'll
filled, churches, and excellent ministry in the
different churches, and promising Sabbath
schools: also fourishing day schools and,
as would be supposed, an intelligent, enter
prislng and generous people. But on going
thoroughly through the streets, lanes, and
suburbs among thepoor and uugodly, found
great many in a deplorable condition in
body, mind and soul, as the following statis-
tics and facts will show. In Fayetteville 1
visited all as | came to them, but in Whining
ton labored mostly among the higher class.
Visited, talked on personal religion or praX=-
Ad--Aa 8 tta, serUrr5e reTTgIouS books but
the Bible; 81 were destitute of the Bible. and
SO habltually neglecting the house'of God:
Sold 895 vols. in value S202,84 and gave
| away 243 vols. in value S45, so. Visited in
Wilmington 346 families, of whom 6 were
destitute of all religious books except the BIZ
BILE; were destitute of the Bible, and 9 ha-
bitually neglected church Sold It's vols. in
value S35,83, and granted 55 vols. in value
$10,77.
One evening found'4 families within 800
yds. 3 churches who went to church on an
average, once in 5 years-two of the daugh-
ters over II years old had never heard SER
mon or prayer. All promised to attend
church, and have since seen three of them
out. Found a man, with family, who had
| been teaching school about 90 years who new
er owned Bible, he had no part of the scrip
lures in his house when | visited him. but
had owned New Testament. In one day
visited IL families, found of them without
the Bible, and not single other raliainns
book. The average OF their ATTENDING ehn~"t,
was once in 4 years and among them found
fathers, mothers, 4 sons and daughters
all down drunk | went in and spoke kindly
to them Some of them said, 1--WE are not
| fitting for any body to come to see u.s." L
told them as God loved them well enough to
be vet merciful to them, surely we could love
them enough to come and talk to them about
that mercy | talked and prayed with them
ALL The next day according to promise |
revisited them and found them tolerably So
Der. After showing the evil of their course
upon their bodies and souls, all but two a.
greed to quit drinking, and they invited me
to come and see them and help them all
, could, for, said they, Eve know it will be
hard work" accordingly did so, and not
one that promised to quit, drank any liquor
, the two weeks [ was with them.
! In two families found 8 promising chill
dren in an ignorant, destitute condition, who
expressed anxiety to learn to read. / gave
e them books and taught them awhile myself
Y and got their consent to start to sabbath
school, although so badly clothed. / made
known their case to a good man who aided
! me in getting Sc so which l laid out in
clothing for these children, l then engaged
two fine pious ladies to visit them every week
u and go with them to school. | met with {
. boy Of II years, who said he had never heard
y sermon or prayer until that day. He state'
ID that his mother never went to church and b
,e always staid with her. He moved near tow
% from j county about one year ago. i
!, another neighborhood I found families dec
+" titute of the Bible and all other religion
books, but one among them could read. On
u family had not been to church in l8 months
ne the second in 2 years, the third and fourt
an in years, and the fifth in 9 years. we
n informed that frequently, fathers, mother
% and children were all drunk together, an
that man had been stabbed in one Of the:
:" drunken frolics few days before. Some
these children said, g I wish there was I
D. LIQUOR for father and mother to drink and gi1
of to me-" All of them were glad to get book
he Some promised to start to sabbath schoo
90. and others said they would go if they wei
Air not so ragged, DuI tney Woulo IFy W iedrh
their new books somehow. / taught one mo
ou of the alphabet: also two of the mothers G
Ne a second visit. Only two of these paren
10 would agree to go to church, but all we
or willing for their children to go and be taugh
Some poor, wretched persons remarked, tn
gif the rich and religious families around the
% were visited. talked and prayed with, but
A0' one never came in to talk and pray wi
them; and an old lady added, that her boz
led said Christ came to be the physician of t
for sick and not the whole, and to call SHINE
Wit and not the righteous. Several godly pf
sons are commencing to visit, talk, read t
tcb- scriptures and tracts, and pray with The
9TH poor, degraded ignorant families every So
w bath morning. and get their children in
jo'h sabbath school, which am to furnish W
books gratis and also to meetthem all 81
you bath evenings in school house to talk a