Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1859-03-26
The &tapaato.


The STANDARD.
For The Standard.
ANNUAL REPORT OF COLPoRTAGE IN
NORTH CAROLINA.
The Colportage year just closed, March LIST, has
been one Of increasing interest and encouragement
most every step so as to give success. Confidence,
love- and cooperation in behalf of this cause, have
greatly increased within the last twelve months.
During the year, in 4a counties l was enabled to
make 1929 tisits to 1870 families convefsed on re-
ligion Or prayed with 1907; Of which sO6 said they
did not attend preaching once in three, six and
twelve months, and many families had not heard
of things have found to be various-distanoe to
church. prejudice to the nearest denomination igno-
rance of the duty, Affection love Of dstilleries grog-
shops and places amusement which are resorted to
on the Sabbath by parents and children. Recently
visited, talked and prayed with 81 persons in
poor, ignorsat heighborhood, and only had heard
sermon in one, two and five years. In another
as general rule, but once year; their nearest
church is about miles.
also found 227 families destitute Of all religious
books, 66 of whom had no Bible The reasons for
this restitution are the difficulty in their getting re-
Igous books owing to the scarcity and distance to
them, inability to purchase, especially at high trade
prices indifference to reading because OF ignorance,
prejudice, bigotry, superstition and fatasm hst-
ened upon the minds of hundreds, that they are to
do nothing. The fatalism was recently exhibited
by the earnest expression of an aged man to me,
who said 81 would continue to read tracts but they
make me have such thoughts and feelings as fear
will cause me to seek religion before the Lords
good time to give it to me. Our minister breaches
to to watch against tracts for they are written so
as to make US cry and feel badly" After = word Of
explanation that tracts were the best sermons Of pi
GUS minister's and facts showing Gods providence,
written out and printed that thousands could read
them, and thus have Gods plain truth, that we are
all great sinners and Jesus is great Saviour SO i'm
press our minds, under the Spirits influence as TO
lead us to trust that Saviour and nothing else-he
then took tracts and seems to be seriously con-
cerned about his soul Not long since was forced
to wait several hours at Railroad depot in q dark
section where no Colporteur has BEEN visited
the families around and one family of several chill
dren was so exceedingly ignorant that they "knew
nothing in books and cared nothing for books" As
they expressed themselves. showed the pictures
in the "Childs Paper" and some tracts, with which
the children were delighted and these the first
printed truths in that house. l there prayed the
first prayer the children ever heard engaged the
that depot We deposited good lot of the TO- 900
pages Of books given by the Am. TT. Society few
months ago for the Railroad depots and Asylums in
n. c. At another depot met man who told me
he lived six miles from there and the nearest church
to him was about miles, where there was preach.
ing once month which he and his neighbors could
rarely attend. They had no religious books except
the Bible, which had been given them by the Amer
lean Tract Society several years ago. and they did
not know what sort of religious books to get
When told him he could borrow some from this
depot he was rejoiced. The restitution and dark
of such sections can be reached only by going
to every family with good cheap, and beautiful
books and heart full of the love of God for souls
More than 500 families said they never had . re-
ligious visit and prayer at their houses before.
think there are two principal reasons for this
Minister of every denomination has just what he
Go, after preaching, to visit the members of his
charge and in frequent instances, such the cir
cumstances, that he cannot visit his own members,
leaving him comparatively time to 60 in the re-
gions beyond to visit and pray with ungodly fami-
lies, who certainly should be kindly reached at their
homes, that the gospel may be preached to every
creature Second-because large majority of the
laity neglect the daily reading Of the Bible and
prayer their own families, consequently, compar
ativey few are prepared or willing to talk on reli.
gion and pray with their neighbors. A prominent
minister having the charge of several hundred mem
bers scattered over whole county, recently told me
that there was but one of them who prayed in pub
lie. In another county, among all the denomina
lions, was found that only g. out of 1000 fami.
lies, had family worship In view of such facts
which fear are true more or less in most of oul
counties, how can every family have a religious
visit, and the preaching the word be accomplished
Everywhere and to every creature the sick, thu
poor, the ignorant and wicked, whether they be q
our doors or at a distance in the swamps and noun
tains? The first and greatest instrumentality is
the iring Ninistry, preaching and acting out God
saving truth. And second, ecery christian, old ana
young who should seek the Holy Spirits influence
In properly understanding that truth, believing
and practicing it at his and her home, that paI
ents, children, servants and neighbors may see tn
fruits daily resulting from Christ dwelling in tn
soul As there are, comparatively, so few havin
this degree Of living, active piety At their homes
aid the ministry in extending it to other home
where ungodliness reigns and spreads itself by tn
increasing facilities Of this Gods gracious pro
violence is seen in raising up and Strengthening tn
Colporteur system under the Am. Tt. Soc sine
1912, to be kind of John the Baptist and Aaro
and Hr helper to the living ministry in carryin
the gospel truths !; they preach and write out
tracts and books, by the christian Colporteu
to the homes of thousands who could not and hui
dreds who would not go to hear them preach thes
truths from their pulpits. Thus by:this rapid eff
Gent and economical systematic average cost of
being about II cents to the family-we may rende
important aid to the ministry in having religion
conversation and prayer in every family, wheths
cody or ungodly, where we can see the parents IN
children just as they are, without the disguise
frequent when met from home talk socially IN
plainly to them as to their minds and souls hes
them talk to us of their difficulties and wants, the
we can adapt our talk, books and prayer to the
needs. After such visits we hear of christians bein
aroused to the performance of family worship, an
other duties in the family relations in the neighbo
hood, in better attending church, in more LIBERAL
supporting the gospel at home and in sending
abroad to the destitute. We also hear of the Co
version Of parents, children and servants, and Il
swearer, sabbath breaker and drunkard reformed
In all this change and religion in the family we
the importance Of ministers and pious person
preaching the word through the press, seeing tn
God has opened and prepared this enlarged, mopi,
channel, Colportage, through which His truths,
preached and printed, may be conveyed to eve