The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-01-07
THE GATE CITY.
KEOKUK:
THURSDAY, JANUARY II
The Bisls Il ISwa.

The DiAle II IGwa.
Rev. Darius +. Jones, General Agent
of the American Bible Soeissy, wrisss ,
communication to the Sssss Register. in
which he says that during the presen,
ysss No No. visited IN eighty.seven coun.
ties in Iowa, and thus sums up the results
Of his observations and inquiries sse-.'a's'
have found. that the average Bible
destitution is one family in every eight.
This gives us II 1898 famiisa desttate Of
the Word of God, or IS, 995 persons
And since those communities where the
Bible has not free circulation and influ.
ence sre the hot-beds of Copperheadism
and disloyalty to the general government,
only need to call the attention of think
ing. loyal men to the fact Of this vide
spread restitution, in order to secure
their earnest cooperation with the Coun-
ty Bible Societies in the State in giving
circulation to the Bible. We have, in
Iowa, 10 Bible Societies, auxiliary to the
American Bible Society, besides few
Branch Societies auxiliary to the County
Societies. The object Of these Societies
is to circulate the Bible, without note or
comment among the people.
/ am prepared to assert, without fear Of
successful contradiction, that the Copper
headism of the State is found among .
class of people who do not read the sacred
volume. In many public addresses l took
the ground that the Bible is the most
powerful elevator, civilizer and governor,
known among men, where it is legitimate
ly and faithfully employed and that, il
the great central and cardinal principles
Of Gods Word had been az faithfully
preached and circulated in the Southern
States, for the last fifty years, as they
have been in the North, this unparalleled
rebellion had never broken out; for the
cause of it would have long since disap-
peared. | also declared the conviction,
that, bad the preaching of Gods Word
been sas sadly and fearfully mutilated,
emasculated, and covered up, throughout
the great North and Northwest, for Fifty
years past, as it has been at the South,
nothing either on earth or in heaven could
possibly have saved us from the horrors
of civil wan and an overwhelming rush
into anarchy and despotism throughout
the whole North. 1t is to the free circu-
laiion and faithful preaching Of the Word
OF God among the masses that We owe
the peace and quiet of our homes at the
North
WRrrE TO THE SoLDIKRs-We clip
the following extract from letter in the
Burlington Hawkeye. Let every one
who has relatives or friends in the army
write often, and let your letters be cheer.
full and loving, SO that our brave men may
realize that their friends follow them in
thought through all their weary march
ipgs, proud of their dauntless courage
and enduring fortitude:
"There is one thing which wish to
say to those who have friends in the ar,
my; that is write to them often. On last
Friday night 1t rained very hard all night,
and In the morning the camp was ali
aiioat, and there was scarcely . tent but
what was drenched with water Clothes
and blankets all wet, and the men stand
ing around the camp fires; We would fire.
quently hear the expression. "well, boys,
II | get some good letters from home to-
day. it will be all right" But what was
our disappointment when the mail came
to find four letters for Go. d. So, of
course, many of us were disappointed.
but We were still hopeful that they would
come tomorrow. | tell you, dear friends,
| believe letter is nowhere so much ap-
preciated as when received in the army.
A few words from a father or mother. a
brother. sister or friend, is calculated to
make the soldier cheerful and contented.
but ! do not complain, only sometimes We
think they might write LITTLE OFTEN
Err"