Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-02-16

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS person Is s..
WAYS uigh.y-in The line where his cen.
g --iar I;s, 4 true mSu Of fal;h Is one
-~,i-t,vsrv convinced Mr.. Muller, 0,
Bristol. Eng'Sri, is puAemiueut,y such
4 msu sri his wonderful. success 5 seen
M, ca.v in his p,SnuiuE snd m~SintainlnS
The celebrated 0rYhSn asylum, hut in the
s;-nE impression which his example mss
lei. uva1 lis inmates.
We ind $ specimen instance rels:et IN
~, letter 10 the New York Weekly VIII
rs~ During tie ssI.ier history Of the
,-rrs~s- there Mss Smopg il benet-
Ia 5 aev rsmed Wilkinson, He was
II. 10 wise remarkable, but was one Of
man who ,esirsd the lesson Of divine
~-1iercs .SuEh: there.
Wilkinson STAYED S" the BTis.o. irS.l>
.g::or till he wss twelve ysSrs old, sub,
ss,uen;.y he came to America. and, at
the breaking out Of the war, became 8
ss..5r IN the United S:a:es navy, He
vsss Young man then, and very earnest
srS devoted in the service o; Christ, He
VS. on the gunboat louisiana, one Of the
~biocksd;ng feet in Pamlico Sound, His
shipnstes, Ike nos. naval crews, had no
rss, knowledge OF the bible or respect
.or sacred things
Wl,kinson's piety wss not obtrusive or
isns.ical. He did his duty in q still,
willing wav. and when he was reviled,
reyi.e1 not again. But the influence Of
his excellent life soon became apparent in
the ship.
Once. while lying in the mouth Of Tar
river, near the town Of Washington, n.
c., he was detailed ashore with two
others 10 work in a ssil loft. BE worked
there two weeks.
His companions we're rough, reckless
men. and their language distressed him
almost beyond endurance, He sid little,
and MS reticence made more weighty the
few words he spoke.
Ore remark Was the means OF leading
both those men 10 serious reflection anC
ultimate acceptance Of Christ as Master
Before this, the silent power Of young
Wilkinson's high character and hdelit!
had been blessed to several sailors OF
board the Louisiana, and he and they
met every night in the cbain.locker t.
pray.
His fortnight Of day,duty on shore wa
not over when these two others wer
added to his little band, who kneeleo
among the cables by the light of thei
little lamp, to talk with God.
The ch~ain-locker meetings originate,
in a suggestion to which wilkinson wa
, led while in company, Il evening, wit
a comrade mole serious than the res'
= Turning the conversation naturally o
religious themes, he found his companio
: in a receptive mood, and before the
d parted, the prayer.appointment We
:, agreed upon for the following night,
j That was the beginning OF 4 series
meetings uninterruptedly kept up Il
{ nearly TWO vears-iil necessary change
Y and separations brought them 10 an Ell,
q In that time the number OF PRAYING me-
J.. continually increased, and the LouisIar
! became known Is the gunboa. with Il
Christian crew
! ICs dull duty 81 LarrOr guard ga
\ much leisure OF board, and Wilkins
gathered 3 bible class, which met at
=. certain hour every day, and a. anoth
n hour he taught the sailors 10 read al
n Trl-e.
: Ire vi'us fidelity ofthat modest you.
"a man. Lis steady earnestness OF faith, a
n a. 9-:=: spiritual power, reflected a
4 p,s.er7=d the teachings Of his own cal
years. None VINO knew him On the c
p E1--.a.p viii ever forget hin, or think
him z.:1ol. greater reverence for
10 N4.cef.
H. story shows that, even amid :
---- l~l:a71rssle surroundings, a tt
>. GLOVE, of the Divine Master may SO Ii
"a o. win uen 10 the same no
- +:v.z- Youths Companion.