Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1881-09-17
Communicated.

Mr.. EDIToR-DEAR SIR: An
apology might perhaps be necessary
for attempting to inlrude upon your
columns, but rs the BEACON is always
an exponent of morality and religion,
l trust l may be pardoned for the in
trusion. There seems TO be an cpl
demic in the atmosphere, an upheav-
ing of the elements; q total revOlu-
ton of thought; wonderful spiritual
scattering abroad of Religious Truth,
that is almost incomprehensible to an
outside observer, like myself, in these
latter days. This neighborhood is
just passing through one Of these spir-
itual phases, in which darkness is fast
merging into light; the chains Of
superstition and ignorance, and Obsti.
macy, and all those thousand and one
bugbears that do as much frigbten and
annoy the earnest seeker after truth
have been dispelled as by the magic
wand of a sorcerer. On nearly every
hand and in every residence the s,ngs
of thanksgiving and praise arise on
high. Religious truths are being ex-
pounded, and that cheerfulness and
tightening up Of the countenaDee which
can only arise from the Divinity with
10 US, is plainly observable. Thought
is deeper than all dction. truth is deep
or than all thought; feeling deeper
than oil speech, aud the minister that
can reach the founts Of feeling and
draw forth expressions of human
sympathy from an agonized soul, deep
ly realizing the slsvish bondage under
which il was suffering, is certainly
deserving of all due consideration FROM
not only the sinner but also even the
so called good and moral men. 1t
takes q man of a subtle and facile
mental organization TO do this. He
must have knowledge deep and pro-
found, be mus. feel keenly, and must
let others know that be does k"l or
else the magical charm Of spiritual
sympathy will be broken. There are
men, and there are gentlemen there
are ministers aud there are preachers !;
there are ministers who tell Us some
thing we should know and feel we
ought to know ; there are preachers
who preach to US doctrine which
like the Sco,cbnan's idea Of metaphy.
sizes We know We cannot possibly un-
derstaud ourselves aud feel satisfied
he knows nothing about it himself;
and yet the preacher bears older date
than the minister Of the Gospel. We
are practical and progressive people !;
every system Of knowledge, every
tenet, every doctrine, every fact is
strictly submitted to the stern alchemy
of human intelligent criticism; and a
doctrine that does not sustain itself
by sound practical truth, must surely
fall asunder We love truth we haze
hypocrscy and ia this connection we
must say that the Baptists of this por-
ton of North Louisiana have certain
ly accomplished a wonderful work.
Some four or five weeks ago the Rev.
Mr.. Wise, young ardent and entbu-
siastic theological student, was sent
ont to perform missionary labor in
North louisiana. His first practical
field of duty was at Hurricane Church,
near Warsaw, in Franklin Parish, La.
There be was reinforced by the Rev.
erends Messrs. Kellis Mason and
Rhymes. They found people social
hospitable. refined aud Intelligent but
spiritually as cold as the Alpine Hills.
They proceeded in their work slowly,
gradually, but surely, to pierce through
this network of religious apathy.
Kellis, with bis mastery work Of
detail, bis picturesque image'y. made
us feel we were all in Sodom or
Gomorrab, and made US know more
about Lot aud Lots family than We
ever knew, even unto the strangers at
the gate. Mason. young preacher
but sincere and earnest, talked as be
felt and carried conviction to every
heart. Rhymes (the little preacber)
as be took them, pew by pew,s and
preached to every one. eye to eye and
face to face, of the wonders of the
Atonement, made each one feel tba,
right then and there, something bad
to be done, while Wise was always
ready to lend helping band to min
lister to o nind diseased or to add
comfort and religious instruction tt
the novice in duty. The result o
these labors was IS accessions to The
church, Is or II Of whom were 5ap
tized. Messrs. Rhymes and Wis.
proceeded on to Oakley church. and
there succeeded in securing some or
sccessions to the church. Mr.. kelli.
then proceeded to Bastrop. when sftel
some two weeks Of duty, be rcjoinet
Mr.. Wise at SuuAower, III his ra7s h
one of the lost churches am a, Thy
field indeed for the missionary. Wis,
had "whooped things up" for serera
days before Mr.. kellis' arrival. bu
when be did be sounded the clarion
note Of repentance. and with BIZ
steady, clear, Urging voice, be raiset
q hn0le charce AGAINST the hosts O