Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-05-31
A Little Church in the Woods.


A1eoeoN'o VteO1CWCOfs
The Y. M. c. A., of Greenville and
neighborhood has recently organized a
Sunday school of nearly forty scholars,
about four miles east of Greenville, in
scope of country lying along the western
base of the Blue Ridge mountains. known
as 1.-THE Pines.'' The section of country
included within the bounds of the Sunday
school, contains a population numbering
some two hundred and fifty or. three hun
dred men, women and children. A large
portion of the adult population can neither
read nor write and few of the children
know one letter from another. If these
poor, ignorant little children ever heard
the name of God mentioned, it is alone
from the lips OF their wicked associates
who use His name only in swearing.
Such is tie population that the Y. M. C..
A., of Greenvile and neighborhood has
undertaken to teach to read, so they may
know something of our holy religion, and
thus b. made more useful and respectable
citizens, il not Christians.
1uO'O Pe'OHi0 AdulI6SG iIuCll IutCi OSU LII
the Sunday school, and express the wish
to have church, which they may call
their own, and in which they and their
children may worship. Now the Y. M. G.
A. propOs" TO build them a small log house
costing several hundred dollars. A large
portion OF the work the young men of the
AsSociaticn expect to do with their own
hands, assisted by the Pines people and
some generous citizens of the Greenville
neighborhood who will aid in the way Of
hauling, etc. One man has promised to
give the land for the church, another some
lumber, and others other necessary build
ing material So in this way, with few
hundred dollars in money, the association
expects to have in a short time a cOmfor-
table little Bethel for this neglected and
destitute population.
The church will belong exclusively to
and be entirely under the control of the
Association, and it confidently hopes to
have at least two gratuitous sermons
monthly in the church by ministers of the
several protestant denominations. It is
also expected by all arrangement with the
public school authorities to have establish
ed at the church free school. We are
told that the tax-gatherer reports fewer
delinquents among this population, poor,
illterate, irreligious, and neglected as they
are, than are to be found in any other
community of equal numbers in his dis
trict. This fact entities them to some
consideration at least from our worthy
Superintendent of Public Schools. By the
way, we hope our friend will make it con-
venient at an early day to visit these
people and look into their wants and
rights in this regard.
The Association is now holding weekly
Sunday School meetings at a private house
in the Pines, which the owner has kindly
consented it shall continue to use till a
church can be built. On last Sunday
twenty-nine scholars were in attendance
and could all the children have been sup
piled with proper clothing by the Asso
citation, as part we're at least forty would
have been present. If the wives and
daughters of well-to-do farmers and others
of Augusta could witness, as the writer
has frequently done, the abject poverty,
degradation and heather ignorance of
many of these poor, innocent little Pine
children, we feel assured this appeal for
help would not be in vain.
This population needs the attention
OF the churches as much as any in heather
lands, and in the name Of our common
Master, who has directed his followers to
go into all the world and preach the gospel
to the poor and needy, we do earnestly in
woke the aid of the good people of Augusta
in the prosecution of this laudahle cutter
prise by the Young Mems Christian Asso-
cion of Greenville and neighborhood.
GREENVILLE.
May q, 1878.
The editors OF the Stanton papers are
respectfully requested to copy the above
and to receive contributions for the cause
named.
Contributions left at the VINDICAToR
Office Will be forwarded to the Y. M. G. A
of Greenyi]le. EDS. VIN.1