Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-03-15
For the Gallipolis JOurnal.l

D what is being done for the moral AM
: religious welfare of our vast and stil
: expansive West, will interest your read
: ers no less than the rise and progress Q
l purely political movements. Itherefor
/, send you the following article takel
E from the last number of the Home Mis-
? sionary, which is a part of Missiona
e ry's report, with an editorial comment
: In my opinion, the suspension of tn,
: operations of the Home Missionar]
Society for one year, would be mucl
more calamitous to the west, than tht
adjournment Of ell our Legislatures fol
: FIVE. T.
IOWA.
. From, Rev. Hiram N. Gates, Yankee Settle
nent, Delaware Co.
{ A MIssIoEARY's REvIEw.-We com.
+ mend the subjoined communication tc
the consideration of any persons who
may have been wont to think slightingly
of the usefulness of christian ministers,
or TO deprecate the nature of their Office.
This statement, we deem fair descrip-
ton of the work that is going on all
over the West. Unobtrusively, but
steadily, without noise, and yet with ad-
mirable energy, in the face of all sorts
of difficulties and enmities, and in spite
of a pay so stinted that a politician
would hout at it, hundreds of faithful
men, and-we must not forget to add
hundreds of faithful ,Domen, are devoting
themselves exclusively to these noble
labors. How many among the most
prominent politicians in your county
can present better claims to usefulness
are doing more for their own State, or
for the country, for the present, or for
future generations? The truth is, that
the christian ministry in those Western
States, though mainly devoted to an OBJ
ject before which all temporal interests
dwindle to insignifcance, are laboring
also at the very foundations that are to
sustain commerce, production, civil
government, public prosperity, and pri-
vate happiness, so long as the social
fabric shall stand. Among all the
boasted friends of the "dear people,"
there are none so true as these:
at is with peculiar feelings that l sit
down to make out my regular quarterly
report at this time. Several reasons
conspire to cause this. In the first
place, this quarter closes up another
yearss .labors, under your direction
Now, too, am enabled to record the
completion and conservation of our new
house of worship. Again, am about
to leave this people with whom have
labored during the past four years.
Lastly, l am about to close my labors,
the direction and patronage of your
Society-at least, for the present.
Standing at this point, about to leave
a people endeared to us by many ties,
we naturally find ourselves reviewing
the past and inquiring what has been ac-
complished. We ask this question,
moreover, that we may obtain an an
swer to another, namely: Have the
funds of the Society been wisely ex-
pended on this field? In prosecuting
this inquiry, and trying to make due al
lowance for our tendency to look on the
more favorable aspect of the work,
think l may sum up the amount ac-
complished, somewhat in the following
manner:
/. The Gospel has been preached
publicly, and from house to house, du-
ring the past four years. The plan of
salvation and the great truths which it
includes, have been presented as they
would not have been had no missionary
been sent here by your Society.
2. A healthful moral influence has
been exerted, we hope, on this commu-
nifty; and, though perhaps we flatter
too much, we still trust that
vice has been checked and morality en-
couraged--good men have been allured
TO this place to settle, and wicked men
have been dissuaded from making it
their home, while those already here
have been restrained from doing as they !
had been won't to do. In some instances I
hey have found themselves so uncom-
fortable as to perfer leaving the place, ;
and have sought out more remote re- I
reats, where, undisturbed by the un- '
pleasant sound of the Gospel, they {
,ould be at liberty to ''live as they list" t
A sad thought it is, that Americans in t
his nineteenth century should so take t
oaIns TO descend to the savage state
But such is the fact. There are those c
Who, from long continued habit, and S
iom the depravity of their hearts, i
actually prefer to lead wild, solitary,
emi-barbarous life, rather than yield to y
he restraints of civilized society. e
8. The Sabbath school, through our t
tumble instrumentality. in part at least, y
las been established in some ten or ]
welve places, during our brief sojourn 4
lere. The amount Of good thus accom- 4
,lished viii be known only in the great S
lay of account. &
4. The religious newspaper has been S
to make its weekly or j
monthly visits, and give its comfort and a
IS counsels. Il
5. The temperance cause has received G
IS share of attention. and the groggery C
las as yet found no place among us o
The one in operation when we came
Iere, was let alone so severely that its 81
,wner found it advisable 10 remove. ci