The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-02-22

II. L uO hublgAAtJ ~ w NN
private letter, said to have been writ
ten by the Bishop himself, to friend
in Cork. So positive are some of the
Roman Catholic clergy of the truth
of the story. that they referred to it
in their pulpits last Sunday.
SOUTHERN EvANGILTZATION.
All the Christian denominations of
the North, Catholic and Protestant,
are in some way contributing to the
support Of the gospel in the South.
The Churches of this city have, with
hardly an exception, been in some
measure interested in the work All
will be interested in reading the fol-
lowing extract which we take from
the last report of Rev. DR.. Stevenson.
just made, of the doings Of the Amer
lean Tract Society in the South, and
the great religious restitution of that
region:
Among other things, he said that
since the close of the war the Ameri-
can Tract Society has labored with
zeal and success in the desolated and
needy districts of the South The
prOstration of the material interests
of that section has seriously
affected its Churches and all edu-
cational and benevolent agencies.
The number of congregations
has diminished, very few of the pas
tors procure an adequate support,
missionary organizations are ineth
cient through lack of funds, and for
the same reason neither public nor
private schools are accessible to the
masses of the children. The disas-
tiers wrou ght by the war, the changed
relations Of the colOred people. and
the confusion of the past three years
have rendered the demand for ag-
gressive missionary labor lreater tEan
at any previous period.
This the Southern Churches Obvi-
cusly cannot accomplish. The call Of
God comes to the people of the North
To meet this prevailing want, the
American Tract Society's system of
colportage is found to be admirably
adapted. In cooperation with rest
dent Christians they have labOred to
establish prayer meeting In every
community; to afford every child,
white or black, Sabbath School in
struction; and, in connection with the
visit of a missionary colpoTteur, TO
supply every family with the best re-
ligious reading. The results have
been highly encouraging. The S0ci-
ETY. has aided is establishing 800
Sabbath or secular schools, with an.
aggregate of more than 100000 schol-
ars. Chiefly among the destitute
$50 600 United States Primmers have
been distributed. During the past
year 50 colporteursshave been employ
ed, and, it is believed, through the
truth spoken and distributed, about
1000 souls have been hopefully called
to Christ.
The number of colporteurs In the
South Atlantic States in 1865 was 10;
in 1866. 30, and in 1867, 81. These
labors are for the most part, sustained
by Churches. Sabbath schools of in
dividuals that become responsible to
the Society for $500 per annum, the
average salary of a colpOrteur. The
economy of this method commends it
to all. In these schools the average
cost to the Society per scholar, is
thousands have already learned to
read the word of God. The Society
employs no teachers, but uses all the
voluntary labor that can be made
available. Many of the best men and
women of the South are engaged in
this capacity, some teaching the
whites and others the freedmen.
Many of the colored people instructed
!, Ice n
to conduct small schools in the rural
districts, at points where the freed
men have been hitherto inaccessible.
The supply of this labor greatly
exceeds the SOciety's ability to make
1t available. Applications are at hand
for 10000 of the SOciety's primers
and spoilers, to be used in reaching
as many destitute little ones. Shall
they be sent? From every quarter of
the South we have evidence of in
creased Sabbath School interest, as
promoted by colportage. A college
President In North Carolina, accus-
toned to engage In such efforts,
writes: Our people need everything,
but nothing so much as Sabbath
School books. | feel more deeply
than ever that the character of the
next generation depends upon the
Sabbath Schools" The work is but
begun. The souls not yet reached by
these influences are equally precious
with any now redeemed to God, and
! these past blessings are an earnest of
fuller harvests as we send Christian
! laborers into these ripened fields.
from the Catholic Telegraph
NEW CATHOLIC BISHOPS.