The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-03-18
AN INTERESTING LETTER.

In the last number of the Religious Herald pub
lished at Richmond, We find letter from Rev.
RICHARD FuRMAN, one of the associate editors,
dated at Charleston. Like everything emanating
from the pen of this eminent divine, this cores
pondence is we'll worth reading, but the greater
part relates to matters of peculiar interest to the
Baptist denomination. There are two par" graphs
however, it is our purpose to reproduce, making
some brief comments. The first is as follows:
son the cars Tuesday, we met with family
who were removing from Anderson county to In
diana We remarked to the gentleman, the head
of the family,) that they were going on long
journey. .Yes,' he replied, I'VE will be on the
road until Saturday night. He further informed
US that he had not succeeded well in planting since
the war, and had concluded to try.a grain coun-
try and, haring relatives in Indiana, although
he had never seen the country, he had determined
at once to make the move. Many OF our people,
since the war, have removed from South Carolina
Some haye gone to the Western States, some to
Honduras, and some to Brazil But, so far as We
have hsen informed, few have been satisfied With
these removals. ARd Aoms, fully satisfied with
their fsreigA experiences, arc returning to the
homo Of their fathers. In MI its poverty and
ruins, they fnd ne place like old Carolina. It is
perhaps best that our people should remnih where
they.are. The contrast between the present and
the past in our history is indeed melancholy. But
we have an abiding trust in the wisdom and mer-
cy Of experimenting Providence and, peeled
and impoverished though our country be, We live
in the.assured hope Of better and happier times.
Let our people patiently submit to existing evils,
let them recognise the hand Of Godin all that has
passed, let them give themselves with heart and
with hope to the duties Of the present, and in due
time, our God will bless us, he will establish the
work Of our hand upon us-yea, the work Of our
hands he will establish it,
Such encouraging views and sound advice are
commended to the people generally This'riew OF
our present and future condition, and the duty of
our people TO remain firm in their determination
to possess the heritage bequeathed BY patriotic
ancestry, fully accord with what has been e1-
pressed in this journal from the beginning Of our
troubles. Let us have an unyielding faith in an
oyerru.ing Providence, and drive back the spirit
of murmurng too often displayed by many. Itis
said that patience and perseverance will accom-
plsh all things, and while the large majority Of
Southern people have been truly patient and for
bearing, many have not perseveied In their efforts
to rehabilitae our land With success and prosperi-
ty. Becoming discouraged, they faint by the way,
and are really drones and idlers in society. When
these persons are fully aroused from their present
ethargc state, to their utter amazenent they will
discover that they have been outsrippcd so far by
the rest of mankind as to render their cases al
most hopeless.
In reference to the family alluded to, it may be
interesting TO state that they reached their aesti-
nation about noon on Friday, less than four days
from Anderson to the heart Of Indiana by cir
cuitous route. When the Blue Ridge Railroad is
completed, our friend con return with his family
in less than three days.
We quote another paragraph from the~corres-
pondence of Mr. FuRMAN. 1t will be remembered
that q few weeks since, in commenting upon what
we saw and heard in Charleston, We made allusion
to the Rev. DR.. HICKS, an eminent preacher from
the North, who was creating quite sensation
among the people by his splendid oratorcal efforts.
Mr.. FUBMAN attended o meeting of the Charleston
Bible Society, and heard DR.. HICKS deliver an ad-
dres, upon that occasion, of %hich he speaks as
follows: II. .:4 s1
"His address was elaborately prepared, and was
listened to with marked attention. He is certain
ly IN attractive speaker. His voice is good, his
enuncation distinct, his vocabulary rich, and his
delivery animated He is endowed with hneim-
ag,na,ion, and with great powers of description.
But We think him deficient in the higher elements
of original thought and of philosophical analysis.
He luxuratcs in the beautiful, delights the ear
with the harmony Of his periods, and pleases the
fancy with his vivid and glowing imagery; but he
present, not much food for thought and little to
force conviction on the understanding, or to stir
the deeper feeling of the heart. We must say, in
addition 10 this, that he speaks too much of the
mere beauty and asihetie attractions of the Scrip
lures, and too little of the spiritual import andp0p
cr Of their holy revelations"