The Richmond palladium., 1869-04-20
The Band OF Faith.
A Curious Religious Sect in Illimois-De.
pendence on the Lord in Common Life.

A Curious Religions Sect in Illinois--De.
pendence on the Lord in Common Life.
4 very remarkable society exists
| among the students of the Baptist In
stitution known as Shurtleff College, at
Upper Alton, I'll, and is called the
Band of Faith A correspondent says
this band is composed of the theological
I students whose pecuniarv means and op
portunities for rem,,nerative employment
Il are SO exceedingly limited as frequently
to reduce them to the sorest straits for
the commonest necessities Of life The
society itself originated in the mind Of
one individual, who. two years ago,
found himself so impoverished that he
was OH the verge of abandoning his min
isterial studies. He resolved to bring
4 the subject directly before the Almighty
. through the medium Of prayer; or, in
The words Of Mr.. Reed, .he asked God
for definite sum of money for the term
of the college session. Shortly after
the first term commenced this brother
received an invitation to pTerch at a
church some distance away. and went
There he collected few dollars, and
from the parents of dissipated youth
whom he reformed he was also favored
with benefactions. In short, the plan
! succeeded, and desire to follow his ex-
ample on n larger scale spread among
the students. A number met together,
and decided 10 form the society. A
house and matron were needed; and no
one Of them fortunately Lad both
these articles, he WAS asked. to co oper
ate. His reply WAS. i will talk to the
Lord and my wife about it, The re
ponse being favorable the work began,
and has been continued up to the pres
ent time. The Band consists of about
twenty five members, baving common
table and a common purse. A box of
contributions is placed in the dining
room, which the treasurer opens every
day, and keeps record Of the receipts
and expenditures. This officer also
keeps jonrnal. one or two extracts
from which we give:
'Octo:.er 15-Bro J brought us
Z load Of coal worth Sc; Bro. d.. pump
J. kins worth 80.
Oct 31--S1 in the box. We shall
! need about SO before I O'Clock this eve-
| ming, 10 pay our servants, &c. We
!. have only half that sum, but we trust
the kind Master will provide the neces-
sary amount before the time is up.
h Nov. 3--We received so to be used
for the band, provided mono of our
members used tobacco. On inquiry We
are pleased to learn that all are free
; from this habit This amount is very
timely relief, etc, etc.
I Dec SIN the afternoon Brother B
brought us bushel of beans worth
g. so about the same time some one
else sent US ham worth 81 I5. Now
! notice how kind the Lord is the beans
I T. los, A fop
I ent use without meat 10 cook with them,
! and so he put it into the heart of anoth
X er individual 10 send us the ham,
The steward likewise keeps a journal,
j which is even more curious than the
/ treasurers We append few extracts ::
I, Oct. 27--Ths morning the Lord sent
! us a girl to help in the house-a direct
| answer to prayer, as it isvery difficult
to get help.
\ NOV 10--For number CT days we
/. have been asking the Lord for wood,
| and just before We went out it came.
/ Oh that men would praise the Lord.
! Nov 13--God has provided trrel
OF -four, five pounds of brown -four, two
( bushels of turBips, a box containing cof
| fee, sugar, bread, and cakes, valued at
! S5. We are out of corn meal also, 81
needed to pay the help to morrow
i have told God about it.
! November 25-Upon going to the
postofiice found letter containing a
! hill OF shipm ent of a barrel Of molasses
/ from Iowa, which came from an old
debt but none the less from the Lord.
7 We are all fond of molasses, and have
felt for some time that it was not an
| economical way Of buying by the gallon.
and have asked the Lord to provide it
! in larger quantities.
The social creed OF the Band Of
4 Faith is embraced in three short sen
tences: l.. To ask no one but God for
their supplies 2 Never to contract
debts for their supplies. 8. To be con
tented with what God gives them. Its
membership comprises nearly on c-half
| tue students of Shurtlef College, and
the prospect is that before the terInina-
ton Of another year all will be gathered
into the fold of religious society which
/ is certainly as remarkable in its machin
cry ana management as anything OF the
Kind that has ever come under our ob
servation, in or out of books.
A large number Of foreign emigraEts
I have left New Yors within the last few