The Russellville Democrat., 1879-12-04
A Great Contrast.

MR. EDITOR Six years and ter months have passed since my first Sab. bath in Russellville. There is great contrast between what we saw and heard then and what we see and hear to day, our last Sunday(for the pres ent) in our adopted home. Then there were but few families living here. Then seven persons constituted our | church membership, three of whom have crossed the last river. Then the little village could afford half dozen street fights every Sunday. Then as a sort of fself-protection. every man felt at liberty to carry six-shooter or . well developed gentleman's walking cane, and some few felt really safer to carry about their person a good sized "bottle" of-well-No 6, perhaps, or some other "liquid spirit". When it happened by an lover inhalation" of that spirit, that some men lost their proper equilibrium, and did not walk upright as men, but fumbled with the ground, or the next nearest object. Then some very wealthy men found it exceedingly convenient to carry all these at once as a necessary appehdage. But then there was no church house in the place, no sunday-school, but lit- tie society, small town and less trade. Then, oh, then how badly we felt strangers in the midst of strangers. Then, no money, no friends, no well come voice. Thanks to friend T. for taking us in, as he did other travellers, for the night was dark, the snow was deep, the wind blew very cold. The world (men) was in commotion, the blood of the murdered was still to be seen. But now as I sit looking out at the door of my room in which l have been confined for several days, from illness, see new objects. hear new sounds, and feel new joys. I see the darKness of the past drift like the ear- ly dew, and the bright autumnal Sab bath, unfold her soft silvery wings, up- on our NOW lovely christianized town, with her four neat and commodious church edifices; and as if voiced lby Heaven, her Sunday school bells, all at once pour forth their Heaven-author- ized calls In an unmistakable voice "Come old, and come young, come high, come low, come rich, come poor, come one. come all,-the darkness is gone the light has cOme."
 In conversation with a Jew friend a few days since he remarked that his business was not "so good" as it would be at some other points, but that there were 90 few street brawls through the week and everybody so quiet on Sum- day that his loss was amply sustained. That SOUNDS coming from one of our Hebrewl brethren.
 Now, I will make few assertions, which may appear daring, but be it so, it is only to emulate. First, there are more men, women and children who regularly attend public worship in Rus sellville than any town of It's popula- tion in the State. Second, take the streets and side walks of Russellville, and there is no town in the state within my knowledge that will at all compare in fact all that have seen in the last six months has the appearance of . "widows dowry." Again there are more men women and children in the Sunday school than any town of its population in the State. Now, why? First, here is more money expended for Sunday school literature by this people than any town of its size and wealth in the State. Second there has been more money raised for building churches than any place of its wealth in the State. Third there is more ACTU- AL CASH paid for the support of the ministry than any town of It's church membership and wealth in the State.
 CONTRAST.
 RUssFILyIILE Nov. 24th 1879,