Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-03-16
For the Spirit of the Age.
Annual Report of Colportage in North
Carolina,

AuC OOipOltdgC y6dI JuSG ClOSOu, 4udlGu
lst, has been one of increasing interest and
encouragement to me. Gods hand SEEM
ed to open my way at almost 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 AZ counties,
I was enabled to make 1922 visits, to l49O
families conversed on religion or prayed
with 1907; of which 206 said they did
not attend preaching once in three, six and
twelve months, and many families had not
heard sermon in several years. The rea-
sons for this state Of things I have found
| to be various distance to church, preju-
eieeto the nearest denomination, ignorance
OF sae duty, affiic.;on, logvsoff iiasillerics.
grog-slops and places anluse sement, which
are resorted to on the Sabbath by parents
and children. Recently | visited, talked
and prayed with 81 persons in poor, ig-
norant neighborhood, and only had heard
a sermon in one, two and FIVE years. In
another neighborhood of families they
did not go to church, as general rule, but
once year; their nearest church is about
s miles,
| also found 227 families destitute Of all
religious books, sc of whom had no Bible.
The reasons for this destitution are, the
difficulty in their getting religious books
owing 10 the scarcity and distance to them,
inability to purchase, especially at high
trade prices, indifference to reading because
Of ignorance, prejudice, bigotry, supersti-
tion and fatalism fastened 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 " would continue to read tracts
but they make me have such thoughts and
feelings as [ fear will cause me to seek re
ligion before the Lords good time to give
it to me. Our minister breaches to US TX
watch against tracts for they are written 81
as to make US cry and feel badly" Afte
word Of explanation that tracts were tht
best sermons of pious ministers, and fact
showing Gods providence, written out AM
printed, that thousands could read them
and thus have Gods plain truth, that W
are all great sinners and Jesus is grea
Saviour, so impress our minds, under tn
Spirits influence, as to lead us to trust tina
Saviour and nothing else-he then too
some tracts and seems to be seriously cor
cerned about his soul. Not long since
was forced to wait several hours at Ra
Road Depot in dark section where n
Colporteur has been. / visited the fam
lies around, and one family of several chi
they knew nothing atfhffaH III books nafT ad care
nothing for books" as they expressed then
selves. Ishowed the pictures in the "Child
Paper" and some tracts, with which tt
children were delighted, and these arc tt
first printed truths in that house. the
prayed the first prayer the children ev
heard | engaged the services Of a GOO
, man to teach that family, and at that ID
: pot we deposited a good lot Of the 1890
t pages of books given by the Am. Tr. Sc
' few months ago for the Rail Road d
: pots and Asylums in N. G. At anoth
: Depot Imet aman who told mehe lived :
s miles from there, and the nearest chur
# to him was about miles, where there W
IS preaching once month which he and
0 neighbors could rarely attend. They h
C no religious books except the Bible, whi
r had been given them by the Am. Bib. S
IS several years ago, and they did not KIN
s what sort of religious books to get. WI
l. | told him he could borrow some from t
IS, Depot he was rejoiced. The destitut
lg and darkness of such sections can be rea
Id ed only by going to every family with 60
to cheap and beautiful books and heart
IS, of the love of God for souls.
n More than 500 families said they ne
y, had religious visit and prayer at Il
lis houses before. Think there are two p
cipal reasons for this-First, the time
lst now come when almost every Ministe
90 every denomination has just what he
of do, after preaching, to visit the mem
in of his charge, and in frequent instan
to such are the circumstances, that he cal
re- visit his own members, leaving him C
no paratively no time to go in the region:
'od yond' to visit and pray with ungodly f
to lies, who certainly should be kindly re
ON ed at their homes, that the gospel ma
ess, preached to every creature Secor
ers, because large majority Of the laity
ent lect the daily reading Of the Bible
oar prayer in their own families, conseque
md Comparatively few are prepared or WI
!. to talk on religion and pray with
neighbors. A prominent minister hs
T. the charge of several hundred men
lew scattered over whole county, rec
ary told me that there was but one of
olu- who prayed in public. In another co
ng: among all the denominations, it was
the that only %, out of 1000 families
fles- family worship. In view Of such
d a which | fear arc true, more or less, in
His Of our counties, how can every family
ring religious visit, and the preaching
it to word be accomplished everywhere a
in every creature the sick, the poor, tt
Y re- norant and wicked, whether they be {
her doors or at distance in the swamp
4 his mountains The first and greatest i
nent mentality is, the Heimg Ministry. pl
Cling ing and acting out Gods saving truth.
him second, every christian, old and yonns
back should seek the Holy Spirits infuel
at of properly understanding that truth. |
roth ing it and practicing it ct his and her
and SO that parents, children, servants
dered neighbors may sec the fruits daily
hus- ing from Christ dwelling in the soul
nhap- there arc, comparatively, so few havir
, had degree Of living, active piety at their
'efore, to aid the ministry in extending it to
=, and homes where ungodliness reign