Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-09-12
oo1,poRrAGE IN NoRrH-cARoL1NA.

COLPORTAGE In NOhIa-CaHOAl>I
Since June LIST this cause of united christian Ell
fort has continued to make steady progress, ID 10
mission of carrying gospel light and love to the
ahedes of ignorance and SIM in more than NIFTY
counties in this State. In the various counties
have both seen and heard of the great Importance
of this system to help extend religious and educa-
tional privileges to every family
In one of the western counties a coporteur Visit
ed one hundred and forty-six families, IN when
there were four hundred and thrty-nine souls over
ten years old, not one IN twenty couid reao put
few attended evangelical preaching, seventytwo OF
the families had no Bible, and ninety-two no reii-
gious books and no way of getting them unless
thew are carried to their houses for there is not
book store within one hundred miles OF them. ny
the coporteurs visits of instruction and prayer IN
these families they begin to see the value OF such,
and are now meeting IN Sabbatn ochooiS, Which
they heretofore opposed
In an eastern county colporteur writes: ~
visited one hundred and fifteen families in which
found many in great neglect and ignorance, but
willing to receive instruction and books after ex'
plain my work. The greatest difficulty IS, that
there are so many poor wretched families who can
not read The father of one of these families re-
Gently me. me and thanked me for my visit to his
house, saying that it had caused him to start his
children to the common school, which he before
cared nothing for. When first visited this family
found the parents and six children so very igno-
rant of books, that spent the time in talking to
them about the value of good books, showed the
pictures and alphabet gave suitable ones to them,
urged him to send his children to school, and united
with them in prayer" This colporteur also writes:
II went to political meeting where distributed
a great number of tracts, and talked with many
about their souls One man there told me that
gave him the tract Come to Jesus some time ago,
which had so reused him to think Of his soul that
he now wanted Bible to read"
LIFE DIRECTORS AND MEMBERS.
In addition to the colporteur system of searching
ont and supplying the destitute families, we now
have in North Carolina between three and four hum
bred Life Directors and Life Members of the Ameri-
can Tract Society," who draw and scatter their an
nuities of tracts and books to great extent among
their poor neighbors. BY this means hundreds Of
the most pious and intelligent men and women are
making their influence to be felt and perpetuated by
their example and effort in following up our COL
porteur labors by their frequent visits gifts of tracts
and books, and instructions and prayers The do
nation of twenty dollars at one time constitutes
Life Member; the addition of thirty or fifty dollars
at one time a Life Director. A Life Director can
draw, gratis, each year three thousand pages Of
tracts or two dollars worth Of books, Life Mem
Der can draw fifteen hundred pages of tracts Many
parents are making themselves and each Of their
children Life Members or Life Directors; and they
then select some poor family or persons whom they
think likely TO appreciate and improve from reading
the tracts and books drawn and make them Life Men,
bers. lady in this county has been thus selecting
children in different families for years. making them
Life Members, BY which she is helping to raise up a
little army Of readers and workers in Gods vine
yard Many congregations and sometimes Indivld-
uals, make their Pastors, Sunday School Superiten-
dents, and Teachers Life Members or Directors, by
which they can draw books and tracts annually to
read and give to others. A pious gentleman, seven
ty-fve yeas old, recently wrote me saying: "You
will please send my annuity Life Director, in
tracts and primers, for and my daughter shall take
great pleasure IN making usual visit to each of
my neighbors to supply them with something to
read on Sundays and when they may wish. o. |
have so much good effect from reading tracts!
The primers for the poor children, through
whom We can Frequently better reach the parents.
We should always speak and act kindly to children"
A distinguished Christian patriot in heart and
effort who was recently made Life Director, writes:
mo agency connected with the promotion Of the
gospel bleSsings-and the cause of Christ-with the
charging of the bounds of Zion and the diffusion of
benevolence, has more of my appreciation than the
American Tract Society. Be pleased to send my
share in tracts which shall be given out among our
people. to whom they arc often blessed of God as
his most effective ministers"
CHEERING FACT.
1t is cheering fact that notwithstanding the po-
litical excitement this summer yet have not seen
greater anxiety and effort in getting and scattering
tracts, the american Messenger and Childs Paper.
have scattered about two hundred and twenty five
thousand pages this quarter, and sent great many
more to Ministers and other active Christians. Du-
ring the last month learned Of sixty three persons
who attribute their awakening conversion to the
blessing of God upon the reading of printed truth
One prominent gentleman, over eighty years
old who had been seeking religion more than twen-
ty years. and was about to dismiss the subject from
his mind. Christian friend of his told me that
he got some tracts of the colporteur one of which
ne gave to the aged man. who after reading it, told
him that the tract exactly what he needed. He
started afresh in seeking God and he is rejolc-
ing in his love, and gracious revival has been 60
ing OH in his neghborhood, over which he had great
influence.
1t is to be an instrument under God to do such
work as this in the cabin and mansion for the good
of souls, and of every class and our whole country,
and the world, as an Al-wise Providence has and
may direct, that the American Tract Society exists,
and tolls hard sending its colporteurs, books
and tracts in one hundred and twentynlne languages
and dialects To do this great work the Society is
dependent entirely upon Christian charity. Let
each one prayerfully consider the duty and privi-
lese of giving to sustain and extend this cause.
Yours truly,
W. j. W. CROWDER, Gen. Ag't
of Am. Tr. Soc. for N. C.
Raleigh, Sept, 1860.