The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-04-27
MONDAY q, 1874
LOCAL MATTERS.
Tho American Tract Society.

South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Ala
bama, has completed his report for the past
year, embracing the operations OF the Society
and much statistical information Of interest.
Numbers Of Instances have been reported
TO the agency Of good done by the colpor-
teurS Of twenty and twenty-five years ago,
and not unfrequently have the colporteurs
been cheered by the result Of their labors.
W hole neighborhoodS that were entirely deS-
titute Of public religious privileges have been
brought under the influence of the truth by
the colporteurs going into it, talking and
praying, from house to house, and distribu-
ting tracts as they would pass along.
On the subject Of intemperance the Su-
perintcndcut has much to say. He states
that it aboundS to a greater or less degree all
over our land, and it is alarming to know the
extent to which it prevails in many sections
of the country. At almost every crosS-road
this destroyer is dealt out to the people. In
one Of the towns Of 200 inhabitants recently
visited there are eight Of these places, with
no appearance Of church influence to coun-
teract this great evil.
The Sunday school continues to be door OF
great uso fulness to the colporteur in the prose.
cution Of bis work. 1t is 4 door that is found
effectual when others are closed. In some COM
munities, where it would be impossible to
do much With the old people, because of
their prejudice against all such enterprises,
and in some instances because of the large
number who have no education, and cannot
read tract or book if it were given them,
the colporteur, By visiting the people, can
III almost every instance get enough of the
people who can read to agree to start Sum
day school; the children become interested,
l., 20 No lie
and read to their parents, and thus become
unconsciouSly the bearers Of the gospel to
their own lnren1s. There are many points
in this field where there are prosperous
churches now which were started only
Il few years ago with colporteur mission
ary Sunday school, aud that there are many
more being started with q like prospect of
good success. The colporteurs also report
interesting visits to some aged christians in
destitute sections in the mountains and
other distant and secluded places. The
number Of colporteurs that have devoted q
part or the whole of the year TO this service
has been forty-Seven; of which number ten
were students representing five different ill.,
StitutionS Of learning, who spent their yaca-
ton in the service Of the Society. The time
given to the work was equal to fifteen years,
five months, and eight days, and the amount
of religious truth distributed by them in the
way OF publications is valued at S9,555.57.
The Society has nearly 1000 conversions re.
ported from the fields in which the colpor-
teurs have labored.
The whole number of families visited by
the colportcurs was 23,041 and in the large
number of 24,755 Of these they held per-
sonal religious conversations or offered up
prayer. In many of these families the Bible
has been read and pray er offered for the first
time. The colporteurs officiated in 1852
meetings for prayer or declaration of the
truth. The coiporteurs report that they have
visited 4,S1S iumiies who entirely neglect
attending on evangelical preaching. and to
have found 2.040 families without the Bible
and 3, .U6 families without any other religious
reading, and many others that had but little.
The colored people have continued to
share largely in the benefits of this agency.
They are said to be improving in various
parts Of this wide field. Numbers of them
have learned to read. They are seeking USE
full knowledge in good books and trying to
learn and advance in education, showing
great desire to succeed. Many OF them have
been qualified to some extent to teach the
masses in the way of life, and much has
been done and is being done for them by
training teachers in the several institutions
established for that purpose but this ~
vast work. and must take many years of toll
before sufficient number OF these people
can be educated and prepared to teach and
preach to the vast multitude of their fellows.
Many Sunday schools have been AIDED ana
many established, and the society will take
pleasure in seeing that the contributors OF
the colored people are placed where they
J. nd oronnnIiSh most
good. The colporteurs have given much
attention to supplying them with the books
needed, both by grants and purchase; they
have organized many schools for them and
taught them how they are to be conducted.
The superintendent devotes a considerable
part of his report TO the subject of the desti-
tuition of the people Of this field, and says
that in many instances clothing, books, and
churches are peeded. They (the colored peo.
ple) do not know what to do when the col.
porteur offers to pray in their houses, and
have to be taught their duty to God almost
as simply as if they were in heathen land.
Reports from the mountainous parts OF Vlr-
pinia represent that out of 424 families visited
lsS are habitually neglectors. In another
field. out of 627 families visited 234 never at
tend; another, 410 visits and 167 neglectors.
The agency has circulated religious litera-
ture valued at S29,26S05 during the year, oil
WHICH S3,9S2.36 was gratuitously circulated
through colporteurs, voluntary distributors,
ministers. Sunday schools, and others. The
donations on the field reported through the
Office in this city amount to S24224.
In North Carolina colporteur reports
that in one day he called on ffty-two fam
lilies: found thirty habitual neglectors of
public worship; sold titty-fi9e cents worth
of books in all these visits. Many Of these
were in the hands of poverty and vice. He
asked man what the place which he visited
was called. He replied HELPS Halt-Acre."
He went to house where he found two
women dressed in gay attire; spoke to them
Of their sours interest, and OF the great love
of Jesus prayed Gods blessing on them
left them weeping bitterly; was soon over
taken with "Please, sir, wont you stop
hereos Replied, yes, after call at this
house. Go and prepare them for my com
ing. Found four women in vigor of youth.
Soon they were weeping proposed prayer
with those who wanted saviour; all bowed
at once in deep feeling. Many other such
cases are reported by the colporteurs.
THB WEATHER ever saw such
weather as we are hEsing now. or course
not. But here is an extract from diary
Kept in this ety.
1873, April 25. Snewed in Albemafte
county to-day. Disagreeably cold.
April %. Gold, constant rains. Fires
and oyercoats
April 90 Rained in the Sorenoon