The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-10-26
Letter from Florida.
MADISON, October Sth,

MADlSON, OSlOUSI Olu, Oh.
MessrS. Editors, S,-Perhaps word from
this distant point may be of interest to
some of your numerous readers, hence
will drop you few lines about the well
fare of our churches and the growth Of
religion in these parts.
Religious interest, vital and personal,
is at low ebb throughout the State.
This is the testimony of ministers from
nearly every quarter. There are also
more vacant churches Indifferent about
claiming the services of pastor, than l
is found in this fact: every winter there
are ministers coming to this State in
search of health, who will supply vacant
pulpits at lower salary than pastor
can possibly exist upon. Thus a few
months of pastoral labor, bestowed by a
stranger, is made to last the entire year,
and while the church saves money the
spiritual condition becomes more and
more disheartening and alarming to a
watchful observer. Of course there are
happy and bright exceptions to this, and
there exist, believe, five working church
es, supplied with pastors, in the State.
The number of vacant ones, 1 under
stand, outbalance those supplid with the
ministration of the Word.
The evangelistic field is large, and it
seems that it is among the poor that the
gospel is really desired and listened to
with earnestness and attention.
The evangelist of this Presbytery, Rev.
Henry M. Anderson;is encouraged in his
labors. There are seven mission points,
running from Madison county southwark
to Ocala, at which he breaches, and three
vacant churches claiming portion of his
time.
In southern Florida the mission field
is still larger, and the call for laborers
imperative and earnest, only those re-
spending to this need, must be like the
angels, able to live without "food and
raiment." Money is what is required to
carry on this noble work, and this is Just
what it seems SO difficult to supply. The
new settlers in this country have expend-
ed all their little capital in starting
groves and putting up buildings in which
to live, and the soil being usually sandy
and poor, they can scarcely make enough
to supply the necessaries of life while the
groves are maturing. This leaves but
small margin for giving to the support of
the gospel, and unless minister be, like
Paul, " a tent-maker," there is great dan
ger of his coming to want
L know there have been many "gush-
ing letters written from this land of
"The orange and myrtle" painting it
coute1tT de rose, but 1 think I can safely
say that after person has resided here
for two years he will never be guilty of
sending such will-o' the wisp epistles for
publication. Such missives are ne-sided,
as nearly all published accounts of this
country are. The rose is painted but
the thorn concealed. A person in going
to the beautiful but sandy hills and wales
of south Florida or to the luxuriant but
miasmatic hammocks,' must know from
whence his bread is to come, or all the
delights Of this delightful climate will
fall upon his hungry vision. We speak
whereof we know
L do not wish to discourage any one
who may be looking this way for field
in which to labor, or home in which to
settle, but the plain and practical side
ought to be presented, as we'll as the
blooming flowers, the singing birds, the
lucious orange, banana, and pine apple,
so delightful to contemplate, but so un-
satisfying when beyond ones reach