Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1874-04-13


by becoming his wife, with dowry which re-
lieved him OF the care of providing for the COM
forts of life. Prosperous in business, happy in
his domestic relations, Charles Burcbard often
had occasion to look back with a smile to the
time when he left the service of Mr.. Lambert
"for conscience sake"
TWENTY DOLLAR CHURCHES out in
northern Michigan there lives a man whose
life is spent in doing good to his fellow men.
lie is a missionary in the best sense Of the
word. He knows how to preach on the
frontiers better than our eloquent city cler-
gymen. He can swing an axe with the best
lumberman that ever felled tree He can
make fifty miles day on foot through the
woods with heavy pack on his back, sleep
with log for his pillow and boughs for his
bed and dream Of Jacobs ladder with the
angels Of God ascending and descending
around his Bethel. Five services on Sum
day and fourteen miles of walking to conduct
them, only help him to sleep sound in the
healthful pine wood air, and he rises early
on Monday with keen appetite for work.
Every man, woman and child in three coun-
ties know him and many of them have great
reason TO bless him. Last year he gathered
one hundred and thrty-fve Sunday schools,
a large part OF which are now self sustaining,
some of them.
A few Sabbaths ago this missionary stood
in one our city churches and told the simple
story of his daily and Sunday life in Michi-
gan, to congregation, many of whom were
children. His tall form rose nearly seven
feet above the platform, his long fingers
clasped around the hymn book and the keen
eye which had often followed the hunter
trail. took in the whole scene at glance
He told of emigrants, mostly from the Eas-
tern part of our own land, who came into
the woods with only what could be carried
on their backs, and for the first two or three
years never had dollar of money, wis
would yet come regularly to Sunday school,
in the woods, and give out of their poverty
u days chopping to build log school-house
or church lie spoke of children who, in a
scanty neighborhood made and brought
bushel Of cakes Of maple sugar to pay for
the door and windows, and shingles, which
had to be bought with money before the
church could be finished, and then he drew
the picture Of the Sunday School organized
in the pine woods, with $50 members, the
whole population Of the district, classes of
stout lumbermen in their shirt sleeves,
young men and women, boys and girls, and
the infant class composed Of seven moth
ers with their babies in their arms in Lam
guage that touched the heart and brought
tears to eyes unused to weep, he told Of
men who had fallen in the Fast and had
come into the woods to hide from the sight
of their fellows, and die lonely and forgotten;
how he had found them, brought them into
u Sunday school; revived in their hearts the
ambition and sef respect which seemed to
have died out cf their natures, and put
them, by the influences of religion, morality
and friendship, on the high road to pros'
perity, and in more than one instance to
wealth. For two hours, grown people aud
children listened eagerly to the plain, earn-
est speech of this good man; whose tender
ness and simplicity seemed wonderful in q
man of so large a frame, and whose life had
been passed in rough and wild country.
When his speech was done, those who
had heard him describe the building Of
! churches in the woods, and how for every
twenty dollars in money one rustic place OF
worship could be reared and dedicated free
from debt, to the service of God, crowded
around him with their offerings, and the
good man went away leaving blessing, and
carrying gifts enough to build several new
churches in his far forest home. We would
gladly welcome this Sunday school mission
ary every year, and if twenty dollars in
money will build church for such preach
er, will guarantees the formation Of a cheap
church erection society in every congrega-
tion that listens TO his words. Rev. DR.
StOditd, IN Observer.